The Siren Killer
by rika08
Summary: Sequel to Gypsy's Siren Something is lurking in the woods around Beacon Hills. People are sick, paralyzed, and dying. All signs point to Mercedes Walker, but is it the orphaned Siren? Or has the pack final met something they know nothing about?
1. Chapter 1

Sheriff Stilinski yawned loudly as the sun peaked through the trees on the edge of town. He worked to all hours of the night and day, driving to every end of the county, but that didn't keep the feeling of old age from hitting him early in the morning. Especially early in the morning. THe sheriff's car drove down the main road, nearly a mile away from the nearest house in Beacon Hills, but still in the county line. Stilinski caught sight of a developmental sign, explaining Beacon Hills new home development. Stilinski rolled his eyes and took the next left. It was a dirt road leading to the developement; now the bane of his existance.

The car rocked as it drove along the unpaved road. The SHeriff swerved to avoid the large rocks and divets in the road. The last thing he needed was a tow back into town because of this damn road. There were several turn offs, leading to single houses further down, outside of the developement zone. Most of the trees had been cut back to allow cement trucks, truss trucks, and work trucks in off the main road to the sight. Dozens more were removed for the developement of the land. THe earth was leved out for the foundations of each house. A thirty-one house developement...well, thirty now.

The Sheriff pulled up to the center of the developement; The Walker residence. It was a two story log cabin, built within a few months for the two new residence of BEacon Hills. The sheer size for two peopel was more than Stilinski could fathom, but seeing as Miss Walker had the money, buying a larger house seemed to be worth it. The roof sloped over the entire house and allowed a good sized covered porch and balcony. The front porch was gated, along with most of the property. It was a quant house.

Sheriff Stilinski pulled up to the Walker house and killed the engine. He sighed hevaily and pushed the door open. The autumn air was cool, not lingering on the summer heat, but not quite winter's level. He turned toward the gate entrance, where Mercedes Walker was already waiting, with the developper Lucas Wayde. He started walking toward the gate. "Miss Walker. Mr. Wayde."

"Sheriff." Mercedes replied with a brief nod. She wore pale pink surgical scrubs. Her golden brown hair, streak with violet, was pulled into a simply pony tail.

"Sheriff." Wayde was a young man, recently relocated to Beacon Hills to develope housing commonities. He stood a few inches smaller than the Sheriff, wearing dark jeans, work boots, and a red tee shirt. To everyone in Beacon Hills surprise, Wayde wasn't just the business end of the developement, but the physical labor as well. The man was a contractor, which kept him in the area every day. His blond hair hung down to his brown eyes, barely covering them at the brow level.

"I'd say _'good morning'_, but considering how earlier it is, it's not quite _'good'_. Coffee?" She extended her hand, holding a disposable coffee cup.

"Please." he took the proffered cup from Mercedes and took a slow sip. Yep, that deffinately hit the spot. The Sheriff swallowed and returned his eyes to Mercedes. "So, what did he do this time?"

Wayde rolled his eyes. "nothing!"

Mercedes turned her head toward the far portion of her fence. "Beyond the typical blocking if my driveway, that bastard damaged my fence."

Stilinski turned his head, following Mercedes eyes. Sure enough, her wooden fence was damaged badly. A limb from above had falled on the fence, shattering it badly. The limb itself was faily large. The end was broken, splintered and jagged. The Sheriff walked to the coner of the fence and examined it furhter. "You did a number on her fence there, Wayde."

"There is no proof that that was me." Wayde replied.

"Oh, so I have tons of trucls driving thorugh here everyday?" Mercedes asked. SHe folded her arms in front of her chest.

"You wouldn't have this problem if you just took the money-"

"We've been over this, Wayde, just because you want something doesn't mean you can have it." Mercedes explained. "I'm sorry I purchased the property you wanted, but you've have years to do it. I own it now, deal with it."

Wayde shook his head. "Whatever, I have work to do."

"Not so fast." Stilinski called, stoppin Wayde in his tracks. "Your looking at tresspassing and destruction of private property, Wayde. If she wants, I can have you arrested."

"Bullshit." Wayde snapped.

Stilinski shrugged. "Well lets asked Miss Walker what she wants to press charges."

Mercedes tilt her head, watching Wayde for a moment. For the first time since she met the developer head, she watched him squirm. Needless to say it was more than a little satisfying. "No, not this time, but I want my fence fixed by the time I get off work, and my drive cleared."

Stilinski nodded. "Think Wayde can manage that." He turned to the developer. "Right Wayde."

"I'll see what I can do, but my guys are behind." Wayde explained.

"Well let me give you some incentive," Sheriff Stilinski said. "make sure that fence is fixed by the end of the day, or I'll fine your for desctruction of private property."

Wayde's lips turned into a thin line. "Fine. It'll be fixed."

"Good." Stilinski said. "You can get back to work, mind that you keep your things on **your** property, Wayde."

"Yes sir." Wayde nodded and walked back toward the development.

Stilinski watched the man go and shook his head. "He really wants you out of here."

Mercedes snorted. "Apparently. Son of a bitch doubled his last offering before he blpocked my drive."

"Turned him down again?" Stilinski asked.

"Damn straight." she answered with a smile. "He can be pissed all he wants, I made the purchase on this property well before he did. This lot and the next one belong to me. I'm not moving."

Stilinski sighed heavily. "There's only so much I can do, Miss Walker. At most, fines for tresspassing. Nothing that's going to stop the development."

"I don't care about the damn developement Sheriff." she replied. "I moved here to raise my son, that's it. Not cause problems."

Stilinski nodded. "I understand."

"The next time I call, and I swear I'll have to call tomorrow, arrest his ass and tow the vehicle." Mercedes explained.

Stilinski nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

Mercedes looked down at her watch. "Shit I'm running late."

"You need an escort in to work?" Stilinski asked.

Mercedes smirked. "Thank you, but I only need a head start on breaking the speed limit."

"I'll give you until I leave. If your get caught, oyu're on your own." Stilinski replied.

"I'll take what I can get." Mercedes mounted her bike and dawned her red leather jacket. "Have a good day Sheriff." She pulled on her helmet and started up her bike.

Sheriff Stilinski waved as Mercedes drove away on her bike, using the massive gap in her fence as her escape. Stilinski turned from the fence toward the developement. He sighed heavily and pushed off the fence. He walked back to the cruiser and climbed in. Ever since Wayde had learned about the center proptery selling, he'd been hell bent of getting Mercedes and her son out. Stilinski shook his head. The Walker's hadn't had it easy since the events over the summer, but Mercedes was working her ass off to make it work.

Stilinski drove down the dirt road and caught sight of a familiar blue jeep in front of him. Annoyance flooded him. He reached for the lights and turned on the siren. Red and blue lights danced along the ground and the Sheriff sped toward the Jeep. The Jeep pulled off to the side of the road and the cruiser followed. Stilinski climbed out of the car and walked up to the driver's door, where his son was waiting.

"Hey dad." Stiles said, having the gall to look embarassed.

Stilinski leaned against the door. "Listening to the police scanner."

Stiles shook his head. "Actually no."

Stilinski gave his son a look.

"Your crll actually. You really shouldn't have the thing on speaker phone." Stiles explained.

Stilinski rolled his eyes. "Alright look, son. What's going on out here, in't pack business, it's police business. Mercedes already has enough on her plate and I don't want you involved."

"He's still trying to push her out?" Stiles asked with wide eyes.

Stilinski sighed heavily. It wasn't a secret that Wayde was trying to kick out Mercedes, the entire town knew actually. "Yeah."

"Damn. He doesn't take 'no' for an answer." Stiles muttered.

"Sounds like someoone else I know." Stilinski said. "Now get your butt to school. I don't want to hear you got detention for being late."

Stiles nodded. "Yep, got it dad." He started up his Jeep and headed back down the road. Stiles glanced into the review mirro, watching his dad. He carefully pulled out his phone and dialed Scott's number.

"Yeah?"

"Dude, another Wayde issue."

_"Serious?"_ Scott asked.

"Yeah, the guys still trying to kick her out." Stiles explained. "You know it's only a matter of time before she retaliates."

"We don't know that."

"We don't know that she won't."

_"Look, just get to school, we'll talk about it at the meeting."_ Scott said.

* * *

yeah first chapter. I know it's not as exciting as the last one, but it'll get better I swear. It'll just take time. Don't worry, more people will make an appearance in the next few chapters.

ANY ERRORS I'M SORRY THE PROGRAM SUCKED THIS MORNING AND WOULDN'T LET ME FIX IT


	2. Chapter 2

Beacon Hills had much to offer for someone who wanted to start over in a new town. It was small enough to easily get comfortable, but big enough to slip through undetected. There wasn't a lack of employment, which was fantastic, but the options for a former entertainer with little formal work experience made finding a job a tad more difficult for Mercedes. Most of her interviews stopped at the first meeting. Luckily, she managed to survive both the first and second interview for a mechanic position in one of the towns shops. Even better, since she'd joined the crew, the shop had gotten more business. Of course, it had nothing to do with being the only mechanic who knew what they were doing on a daily basis. Still, it was a job that kept her busy.

"Hey, Walker!"

"Yeah?" Mercedes looked over her shoulder toward the stairwell behind her. She was in the lower bay, switching the fluids in a twelve passenger van. Unfortunately, the van had been so badly abused, there were leaks in the oil pan, which dripped onto her, the brake fluid was low and at a four percent level of water, the steering fluid was all but gone, and she still hadn't gotten to the transmission fluid, but by the smell of the undercarriage, she already knew what to expect. It was a tragedy how bad people abused their vehicles.

Her coworker, Michael, was coming down the stairs. he was a good six inches taller plus ten years. His light blond hair was already thinning in the back and his stomach was sporting a beer belly. His manners and customer service were only a fraction better than his appearance. Needless to say, he wasn't Mercedes favorite coworker, since she was constantly dealing with repairs on cars he'd maintained before she was hired. "Boss says to take your break. We'll finish up here."

Mercedes nodded. "Alright." She grabbed the nearest rag that was laying on her work cart and wiped her grimy hands on it, only managing to wipe away a fraction of the grease and oil. She tossed the rag back onto the cart and stepped away from the undercarriage. Mercedes figured she could use with the break and return to finish up the van. She had no doubt in her mind that Michael was going to screw it up anyways.

"Try not to be late." Michael called after her.

Mercedes bit back a remark and jogged up the stairs. She moved quickly through the top bay toward the locker room in the back. She pushed open the door and quickly moved to her locker. Not many auto shops provided a space for their employees to change and store their things, so this was a miracle for Mercedes. She pulled out her keys from her pocket and unlocked her locker. She pulled out her duffle and helmet and quickly relocked her locker.

Mercedes all but sprinted out of the shop toward her bike. If she was lucky, she could make it to Bentley's school just in time for lunch. With all the problems that Wayde had caused in the morning, Bentley had gone into school without his lunch. But, now Mercedes had it and finally had a chance to drop it by. It didn't hurt that should had her own lunch and didn't mind spending her break eating with him. She mounted her bike and revved the engine. She tore out of the shop and down the street toward the preschool.

* * *

The preschool was a good distance from the garage, and that in itself never left Mercedes with enough time to spend her lunch break with her son. If anything, she was lucky if she got five minutes before she needed to head back. Even knowing all the speed traps in Beacon Hills, Mercedes never had enough building itself, wasn't too big, at least the size of two family of five houses. The walls were a light cream color with a red shingle roof. There was a six foot chain link fence that surrounded the entire property of the school, keeping the children safe from the parking lot, and anyone else who tried to walk in uninvited. The main playground was settled in the back of the school, but the front was used for morning goodbyes between he children and their parents.

Mercedes stepped out of the preschool, closing the glass door behind her. The main entrance was to the side of the building, protected by two gates that latched up top. Mercedes locked the final gate and came around to the front. Bentley was already waiting for her at the gate, while his teacher watched him from the door.

"Bye mummy!" Bentley said. He squeezed his small hand through the links and reached for her.

Mercedes smiled and grabbed his hand. "Bye Benny, love you. I'll pick you up after school." She dropped a kiss onto his hand. "Go eat your lunch."

Bentley nodded and wiggled his hand back through the gate. He looked up, past Mercedes and smiled. "Hi Derek!"

Mercedes turned quickly. Derek, Camaro and all, were in the parking lot, right next to her motorcycle. "Benny, go inside and finish your lunch."

"Love you mummy!" Bentley called as he turned away. he scurried back inside the school, oblivious to the scene that he had slightly caused.

Mercedes folded her arms and cross the parking lot to her motorcycle. Derek was leaning against the trunk of his car, arms folded in front of his chest, as he watched her. He wore a dark green tee shirt that, unsurprisingly, formed around his muscles perfectly. Granted, Mercedes didn't need to see the tight shirt on him, to know just how built Derek was. She had one night with him and had gotten **very** acquainted with his body. She pushed the thoughts from her mind as she reached her bike, placing it between herself and Derek. "You know, this could be considered _'harassment'_. First Stiles, now you."

Derek shrugged. "Just keeping an eye on you."

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Right, I forgot." She dropped her arms and picked up her helmet.

"Hear Wayde's still giving you trouble." He continued.

Mercedes snorted and settled herself on her bike. "Please, it makes town gossip if he **doesn't** mess with me. But don't worry, I'm not going to hurt him. Physically. Legally, I can put an all new level of hurt on him."

"Just keep it legal." Derek smirked and pushed himself off his car. "He's not going to stop until you sell."

"Yeah, well, he can just deal, because it's not going to happen." Mercedes replied. "Bentley likes it here too much. So I'm not going to give your pack a chance to kick us out." She started up her bike. "But do you mind giving us some privacy? I'm tired of answering why Bentley's tracking you guys all over the property."

Derek nodded. "I'll see what i can do."

Mercedes turned and looked at him. The joking and teasing look had faded completely. "We're here to cause problem's, Derek. We just want a home. Whatever your pack wants to think of us, you tell them that what happened over the summer wasn't our doing."

"They know that." Derek replied.

"Then stop treating us like we're criminals and you're the warden." She snapped. "And you can keep the pity eyes for someone who wants it. But it's not me." She slipped her helmet over her head.

"For the record, it's not pity." Derek replied.

Mercedes gave him a side glance and tore out of the parking lot, leaving Derek behind to mull over in the aftermath of the discussion.

* * *

I LIVE!

Holy cow, I'm so sorry for the gap between updates. I have no idea what happened. But fear not! I did not give up on this!

I wasn't really sure which job to give Mercedes. Originally I was going to choose a vet tech, but I thought that would be too close to Scott. Hope you guys aren't disappointed.


	3. Chapter 3

Derek sat on the sofa in his apartment, reading. His feet were propped up on the coffee table in front of him. He glanced up from his book, over to Jackson and Isaac, who both were leaning against the table by the front was sitting in a chair across from Derek, while Scott sat on the couch nearby. Lydia and Allison were standing near one of the pillars. They'd been at Derek's apartment for half an hour, which was customarily used for pack meetings, and nothing but Mercedes latest run in with Wayde had been discussed. Derek lowered his gaze back to his book. If they wanted to get back on track, then Scott could handle it. He was the Alpha, after all. Derek suppressed a smirk, being a Beta certainly had its perks.

"That woman has some serious balls." Jackson stated, shaking his head. "Wayde is not someone you stand up to. He's going to make her life a living hell until she gives in."

Without looking up from his book, Derek replied. "Try the other way around."

"No kidding." Stiles mention from his seat. "This morning, she told my dad that if Wayde crosses the line again, she'll have him arrested."

Jackson shrugged. "So? With his money, he'll be out in a few hours."

"True, but if his investors find out he went behind the law-poof! there goes funding." Stiles explained.

"Yeah then, Wayde will just get revenge." Jackson said.

Allison frowned. "What do you mean?"

"**My** dad looked into legal cases involving Wayde before he moved out here." he stated. "Let's just say, Wayde always won...and didn't have anything to do with his attorney."

"Great. Wayde pisses off Mercedes. Mercedes gets him canned. Wayde comes after Mercedes. Pissed off Siren kills pissed off developer." Stiles dramatically explained. He shrugged, leaning back in his seat. "Anybody else think we should sell tickets to the show?"

Isaac chuckled to himself.

"Stiles!" Allison admonished.

"What? We could make a good deal of cash." Stiles explained. "Even if she doesn't go Siren on his deserving ass, Mercedes is **still** gonna kick his ass six ways to Sunday!"

"Who the hell says that?" Jackson asked.

"I'm making a point!"

"Okay, knock it off!" Scott called, silencing the debate. "We get it, Wayde's being an ass and Mercedes is being-"

"A bitch?" Jackson asked.

"A psycho?" Stile offered.

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Territorial."

Scott lowered his face into his hands. This was going nowhere. It was just a waste of everyone's time and they couldn't afford that. Not with the full moon coming up in a few days. He looked up from his hands and turned toward Derek, who was still reading. It didn't' take long for Derek to feel Scott staring at him. He looked up from his book to Scott, who was silently pleading for his help. Derek rolled his eyes and sighed. Scott was a good kid, but sometimes he needed to take a stand with his friends. Oh he did it plenty of times, but there were still times where he asked for Derek's help. Derek closed his book and dropped it on the coffee table, loudly.

The thud of the book echoed through the apartment, startling everyone. Lydia jumped beside Allison, who reached for a ring dagger. Jackson's eyes shifted. Even months later, he was still having trouble with his reflexes. Shifting was a dangerous second nature for him. Isaac and Scott, both looked over at Derek.

"Whatever goes on between Wayde and Mercedes, isn't our concern until Mercedes crosses the line." Derek said. He lowered his legs from the table and stood up.

"Do you think she'll do that?" Allison asked.

Jackson shrugged. "She killed her brother."

"That was different." Derek snapped quickly. His eyes narrowed on Jackson. "You know that."

"I'm just saying, it wouldn't be the first time she killed someone for threatening her." Jackson explained.

"Don't worry about Mercedes. What we need to worry about is the next full moon." Derek shook his head. He look at Jackson. "We got lucky last time, but it could change. And you know what I'm talking about."

Jackson set his jaw and nodded slowly. The last full moon had been the worst one Jackson ever went through. The coach made cross country mandatory for lacrosse players. There had been a meet out of town, the night of the full moon. Even with Derek, Scott, and Isaac over him, Jackson was barely kept under control. No one said it aloud, especially Jackson, but his time as a Kanima had left his control nearly shattered. Every full moon was a new lesson for Jackson in learning his control...and finding an anchor.

Isaac raised his hand. "Question, how does the full moon effect the Walker boy? Being half a werewolf, does that lessen the feeling of the full moon?"

Derek shook his head. "I don't know, but like i said, Bentley and his mom aren't our concern. If we haven't heard anything about Bentley losing control, then we can assume Mercedes knows how to handle it."

Jackson snorted to himself. "That's a real confidence booster, Derek. A five year old has better control."

At this, Scott intervened. "Jackson, Derek wasn't implying anything."

"There's a difference between you and Bentley, Jackson. He's only half werewolf, and he was born a werewolf." Derek explained.

"Not your greatest comeback Derek." Stiles mentioned. "But he's got a point. The learning curve is different for both of you."

"Then maybe you guys should go back to chaining me up." Jackson suggested.

Derek shook his head. "I've told you, you're past that stage Jackson."

Jackson shook his head, but said nothing.

* * *

yeah not the longest chapter ever. just a reminder that this is a VERY au fic. i'll update when my muse decides to resurface.


	4. Chapter 4

There was a time when Mercedes could recall coming home after a hard day at the carnival. Her body would be exhausted from head to toe, covered in sweat, ready to simply collapse wherever she could. When her trailer was empty and it only herself to care for. No property to look after, no son to feed and put to bed. Just herself. There was nothing that could ever make her want those days again. Nothing.

Mercedes set down the chain saw on the ground and pushed the section of tree from the rest of the large limb. She brushed the sweat from her forehead, tired, but pleased with her work. She'd come home nearly two hours ago, after getting off late at the shop. She hated being right about her coworkers incompetence. After picking up Bentley from the school and feeding him, Mercedes had set straight to work at tending to the tree limb and fence. The limb was already half its original size, but with the sun setting, it would have to be enough for now.

"Benny, last one." she called.

Bentley came around the far end of the house, jogging toward her. He had started watching his mother from the porch, like she had asked, but when he couldn't take simply watching, he begged her to let him help. Mercedes had figured that rolling the logs to the wood shed would be safe enough. And no one would see him rip the logs into smaller pieces. Besides, they needed a bit of fire wood anyways. Bentley jogged to the fence and crouched beside it. "Why?"

"It's too dark to keep cutting." Mercedes answered. "I like my fingers too much."

Bentley laughed and rolled the wood toward the shed.

Mercedes watched her son roll the log away, laughing when Bentley nearly lost control of the log on the way. Nope, she wouldn't trade this for anything. but she would like to have a little less stress at the moment. The damage to the fence was extensive. She'd have to have at least seven feet of it replaced and though it didn't seem like much, the fence was only completed a month ago. It was the last project completed when Mercedes contracted her home. Now it was a mess because some rich contractor couldn't get the best property first.

She sighed heavily and turned to the chain saw. She unplugged the cord from the extension cord and headed toward the work shed. She'd finish her job tomorrow. Mercedes walked around to the back of the house where Bentley was busy tearing the longs into smaller pieces. The back yard was immense and had had a wonderful view, before Wayde moved in. There was plenty of trees in the back for Bentley to climb and run around. Probably enough to built the boy a treehouse later on. Mercedes had purchased it with the every intent of allowing Bentley enough room to run around and engage in his werewolf abilities. But when Wayde came, her plans changed. Luckily they still had plenty of time before any of Waydes houses were finished, and with the next full moon coming up Mercedes planned to take full advantage of the situation.

There was a nice wooden porch and small deck that led down into the stone path. A large pool was built, particularly for Mercedes, alongside the path, but still provided plenty of yard room for Bentley. There was a fire pit some yards away and patio furniture. A string of lights hung from an awning tent frame around the deck and fire pit. It gave the final homey feel for two people who had never felt at home.

The woodshed was situated some distance from the fire pit, near the back door. The tool shed was on the other side of the house. Bentley crouched on the ground, pulling apart the wood logs and stacking them inside the shed. With the pile they had accumulated from half the tree, they were be set for a few fires outside and for the winter. Mercedes walked past the woodshed, across the stone path, and around the corner to the toolshed, gathering the extension cord as she went. She opened the shed doors and placed the chainsaw back on its hook. She wound up the cord and hung it in the wall. Mercedes closed up the shed and locked it. She wouldn't put it past Wayde to steal anything that wasn't locked up.

Mercedes came back around to Bentley, who was putting the last of the wood away. "Hey, mummy needs your muscles, buddy. That limbs too big for me and it needs to get off the fence so we can fix it."

Bentley nodded excitedly. He loved being able to use his strength, especially to help around. He didn't get to do it enough.

Together, they walked back to the fence and limb remains. Bentley took hold of the limb and dragged it off the fence. Mercedes smiled as she watched her son. But when the log turn, she caught sight of something strange.

"Benny stop." she called.

Bentley released the log. "What?"

Mercedes stepped closer to the limb for a better look. deep within the bark and flesh of the tree were four gashes. They were clean, thin, and very long. Mercedes slipped her nails between each one, testing the length and width of them. It was nearly a perfect match. She shuddered unconsciously. Was there another Siren nearby?

Bentley came up beside his mother. "What did that?"

Mercedes shook her head. "I don't know. Can you sense anything?"

Bentley looked around them. "No. Just us."

Mercedes let her eyes scan around the area. there was nothing around them but darkness. Suddenly, she felt very exposed and unsafe. She trusted Bentley and his senses, but there was something that wasn't right settling with her. "Let's go back inside and get cleaned up." She took Bentley by the hand and led him back inside. All the while, continuously looking behind them. She knew Bentley must have sensed her uneasiness, but he said nothing. And for that she was grateful. How do you explain to a child a fear when there doesn't appear to be anything to fear?

* * *

Wayde sat in one of his work trucks, watching Walker's house. He'd been sitting in the truck ever since the day shift ended, watching for Walker to return home. He couldn't believe this was happening. He'd never encountered someone as stubborn-or possibly stupid- as she. He was offering her twice as much as her property was worth, but no. She wouldn't take it. And now he was forced to continue on with his project **without** the main property. Now he had to compete with her bohemian monstrosity in the middle of his masterpiece. It was ridiculous. Worse still, she wasn't giving into his intimidations, she was even seeking out the law to go against him. If that was how she wanted to play, then fine. He simply had to up his game.

When the last light in the house turned off, Wayde waited another ten minutes. He slowly turned the keys in the ignition, starting up the truck. If she was so intent on keeping her property, then he would just have to devalue it before her eyes. He shifted the truck and drove it down the road toward the Walker property. He turned the wheel, bringing the car over just enough to take out the rest of the fence. the truck jerked as it trashed the remains of the fence. Wayde drove it into the driveway when it suddenly jerked to a stop.

Wayde frowned. "What the hell?" He stepped on the gas, but the truck's engine only revved. It remained where it was.

Wayde shut off the engine and climbed out of the truck. He looked up at the house, watching for any signs of life without, but the house remained dark. He walked to the front of the truck and looked around. There wasn't anything in front of the truck. The tires weren't in a ditch, but something had made it stop. Wayde shook his head and sighed. He'd try it again. If Walker caught him, he'd face a fine, unless she kept her word about hauling him off to jail. He didn't have time for a delay. He walked back to the door and grabbed the handle. His fingers touched something cold and slimy. Wayde frowned and looked at his hand, it was covered in the slime.

"What the hell?" He asked.

Suddenly, his fingers went numb. The keys tumbled out of his hands and onto the ground. His whole body grew cold as the feeling left him in an instantly. He tumbled to the ground, unable to stop himself. Wayde exhaled quickly, his eyes darting around. He couldn't move. He couldn't move!

A branch snapped out of sight. Wayde set his eyes toward it, but couldn't move his head to further investigate. Strange footsteps moved across the dirt, coming toward him. Wayde tried to move, to yell, scream, something, anything! But he was completely frozen. The steps grew louder, and the sound of breathing became noticeable. It was staggered, short, raspy, and terrifying. Something sharp grabbed hold of Waydes leg and dragged him from his truck, into the darkness of the forest.

* * *

Let the terrorizing begin!


	5. Chapter 5

Mercedes yawned as she moved about the kitchen, getting Bentley's lunch ready. She had sacrificed an extra thirty minutes just to get this one task done before waking him. If she knew Wayde, and she hated knowing that she was getting used to his antics, he had done something last night and she was going to need every extra minute she could get. Never mind the lack of sleep it cost her. She tucked the sandwich into Bentley's lunchbox and sealed it shut.

Suppressing another yawn, Mercedes headed out of the kitchen toward the staircase. She leaned against the banister and called up the stairs. "Bentley, time to get up!"

She waited by the banister until she heard the familiar sound coming from Bentley's room as Bentley rolled, literally, out of his bed. Mercedes smiled. It was a strange habit Bentley had picked up since they moved into their home. Every morning, no matter what time, Bentley rolled himself off the edge of the bed and always, always, always landed on the floor. After the first week, Mercedes stopped worrying if he ever hurt himself.

Mercedes turned from the stairs and headed for the front door. The door was settled on the east side, facing the sun. Right next to the door was a large window, that was usually covered with the curtains when the family wasn't home. But when she was home, Mercedes loved to keep them open and stare out at the surrounding forest; until Wayde and his company came into the neighborhood. Mercedes walks to the door and drew back the curtains. The room was immediately engulfed in the bright glow of the morning sun, casting rays about the wood panel floor and sofa. She looked out the window, taking in the view, and took a slow, deep breath.

"Son of a bitch." She muttered.

What remained of her front yard was worth every ounce of anger burning inside her. The fence had been completely destroyed. Mercedes knew she'd be lucky if she could salvage several logs to start replacing it, but she had a habit of not being lucky. The truck tires had kicked up clumps of grass and dirt, leaving large gaps in the lawn. And the truck in question, was still situated on her lawn, effectively blocking her truck in the driveway.

Mercedes placed both of her hands onto her hips. "Alright Wayde, if that's how you want to play. Let's see how much you enjoy the Beacon Hills County Jail." She turned from the window and rushed toward the kitchen, where her cell phone was sitting. "You're going to find yourself dealing with so many lawsuits, you're not going to see the end of this project."

She stormed into the kitchen and nearly dug her nails into the granite top picking up her cell phone. Mercedes wasted no time calling the Sheriff. After the first four attacks on her property, Mercedes had placed the number as her first speed dial contact. She pressed the number and waited for the Sheriff or Deputy to pick up the phone. All the while Mercedes paced about the kitchen, trying to keep her anger in check.

"Sheriff's office, Sheriff Stilinski."

"Good morning Sheriff." Mercedes said, trying to sound calm. "I want Wayde's ass arrested. Now."

On the other end, Mercedes could almost hear Stilinski lower his face into his hand. _"What did he do now?"_

"Trespassing on private property, vandalism of private property, and he even left his vehicle on my property." Mercedes explained.

"Are you sure it was his?"

"It has his company name plastered all over it, Sheriff." Mercedes explained. "I want his ass in cuffs. I'm done with his shit."

Sheriff Stilinski sighed. _"I'll head out there and take a look."_

"He gets no more chances, Sheriff. In cuffs." Mercedes ended the call and nearly slammed her phone back on the counter. However, she withheld some of her furry, noticing the Bentley had joined her in the kitchen. "Morning Benny."

Bentley stood beside the island in the kitchen, still dressed in his pajamas. His multicolored skull head pajamas pants were wrinkled and huge over Bentley's small frame. The army green nightshirt seemed to swallow the poor boy up. His hair stuck up in numerous spots from his sleeping position. Even his eyes were slightly glazed over with sleep. With a large yawn, Bentley reached up to rub his eyes. "That's three dollars mama."

Mercedes blinked. "What?"

Bentley climbed up onto one of the island chairs. "You said three bad words. Three dollars."

She groaned internally. Of course her son would be awake enough to hear her cuss throughout her entire rant with the Sheriff. It also didn't help that she'd been dropping nearly one hundred dollars into the swear jar since Wayde started calling with an offer. Nor did the fact that, once the jar was filled, Bentley got to choose how the money was spent. And his heart was set on a tree house village. Apparently claws weren't enough to scale a tree ten times his height. Mercedes sighed and fetched several dollars from her pocket. She placed them in front of Bentley. "You'll need to have breakfast at school again."

Bentley frowned. "Why?"

"Because mommy needs to stay home and talk to the sheriff. I'll call Miss Tracy and see if she can pick you up on her way in." Miss Tracy was the opening director at the building, and Mercedes saving grace when Wayde pulled stunts like these.

"Why does Wayde have to be so mean to us?" Bentley asked. "Is it because he doesn't like werewolves?"

Mercedes felt a stab at her heart. Even months without his uncles influence around him, those scars were still healing, and Bentley was still nervous about what he was. "No sweetie. Wayde just...well, he wants our home and I don't want to give it to him."

Bentley seemed to think the sentence over. "Would he stop if we gave him our home?"

"Probably." she answered. She watched Bentley closely as he processed the information.

Bentley shook his head. "No! He can't have it!"

Mercedes smiled and placed a kiss on Bentley's head. "That's my baby. You go get dressed and I'll pack you something yummy for breakfast at school."

Bentley scooted off the stool and scurried up the stairs. Mercedes turned to the fridge and pulled a few frozen waffles from the top freezer. Usually she gave Bentley the blueberry waffles, but since she said it would be special, she took two chocolate chip waffles out and sealed them in a plastic baggy. Mercedes placed the waffles and yogurt into his lunch box and headed for the door.

Mercedes reached the front door and paused. She set the lunch box down and slowly opened the front door. Suddenly, everything seemed to be heightened. She stepped out onto the porch and took a cautious look at the area. Nothing was different from the previous day, excluding the damage that Wayde had caused during the night, but...something felt different. As if there was an unseen danger looming around. Whatever it was, it was causing a great conflict within Mercedes senses. Part of her screamed to lock them back inside the house, while the other was saying that there was nothing to fear out there.

Mercedes stepped back into her house and returned to the kitchen, where her phone was still situated on the counter. She dialed the second number programed under speed dial. As bad as she wished she hadn't done it, she was oddly soothed having Derek's number in her phone. Mercedes waited for the first ring.

_"You don't usually call."_ Derek said on the other end.

Mercedes couldn't detect a hint of sleep or grogginess in his voice, damn werewolf stamina, but she could sense some form of surprise through the line. "Usually you boys make it a point to find me."

"So what makes this different?"

"I thought I would save you boys the trouble and tell you myself." Mercedes answered. "Wayde's under arrest. Destruction of private property."

"Again?"

"Worse than before, but to ease your packs mind, everything's being handled legally." Mercedes explained. She didn't give him a chance to respond before hanging up. There was no point in continuing a conversation beyond the needed information. And Mercedes had a schedule to keep. However, that call was enough for her to hear that blasted song again. Apparently it was limited to simple face to face interactions, but even hearing his voice seemed to trigger it.

"I'm ready mama!" Bentley called, sliding into the kitchen.

Mercedes smiled. "Then lets see if Tracy can pick you up." She scrolled through her contacts for Tracy's number.

* * *

Gahhhh! I'm alive again! I'm so sorry for the MASSIVE gaps in updates. things have been so crazy. So many updates to do and I feel terrible for making you wait so long. But I promise I have not forgotten this story. And I promise that it's going to get better. HANG IN THERE!


	6. Chapter 6

Deaton often relished in the quiet of the clinic when he could obtain it. Between his day job and his position as an emissary, he found very little time of solitude to ease his mind. But today seemed to be one where he was blessed with such a moment. His schedule was nearly completely empty, another rarity, and there had no been any emergency since he'd opened that morning. Deaton was well accustomed to having it change in an instant, so he used the silence to his complete advantage; by finishing a book he'd started nearly a month ago.

With his feet propped up on top of his desk, his lunch laid out in front of him, and himself easily leaning into his chair, Deaton dove back into the pages of his book. It had been so long since he'd last picked it up, it took nearly three pages for him to remember what the storyline was actually about.

But just as it all came back, including the excitement of the main battle, Deaton heard the familiar roar of an engine outside the clinic. Though Deaton wanted nothing more than to continue reading, and the sign on the door read that he was on break for another ten minutes, he knew that this was no ordinary visit. Placing his bookmark back into its place, Deaton lowered his legs back onto the floor and stood from his chair. He made his way from his office out to the front desk. He rounded the corner just as the crimson clad siren approached the door.

Deaton walked through the mountain ash barrier and unlocked the front door. "Miss Walker."

"Doctor Deaton." Mercedes replied. "I hope this isn't a bad time."

Deaton shook his head and opened the door wider. "Not at all. What can I do for you?"

Mercedes entered the clinic, carrying a black backpack over his shoulder. She stepped several paces ahead of Deaton before turning to face him. "I found something on my property last night."

Deaton's brows furrowed. "Something like what?"

"I was hoping you could tell me." Mercedes lowered her backpack and unzipped the larger of the two sections. She dipped her hand into the pack and removed a chunk of wood.

At first, Deaton noticed the wood itself. One of the natural growths on the edge of town where Mercedes had taken up residence. But the next thing Deaton noticed intrigued him as well. The wood, though larger than Mercedes hand, was engraved by five impressively deep gashes. Deaton's frown deepened as he took the wood from Mercedes. He inspected it closely, alternating the lighting as he rolled the wood over in his hands.

"When did you find this, exactly?" Deaton asked.

"Last night, after Wayde knocked the limb down." she answered.

Deaton motioned for her to follow him into the back room. "And theses were the only markings you found?"

"Yes."

"Where on the limb were they?" Deaton set the wood on the exam table and pulled out a pair of gloves.

"Nearly the trunk." she explained. "At first I thought they could be from the branch breaking, but its too neat to be a break. And they look more like-"

"Claws."

Mercedes nodded slowly.

Deaton looked up from the wood. He placed his hands on the table and leaned into them. "Miss Walker, I've become very adept at telling the difference between the types of markings made by different animal claws. I know the difference between a cougar and a bear. Or a wolf...and siren."

Mercedes lowered her eyes.

"So I don't need to tell you that this is neither." Deaton finished. "But the similarities are...very disturbing."

Mercedes nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

Deaton reached across the table. "May I see yours?"

Mercedes brought her hand over the table and shifted her claws. the three inch pearl daggers slipped from the nailbeds. Deaton took her hand and closely examined each claw. He brought the wood up beneath her claws and compared the finger spread to her own. Mercedes stood, silently watching Deaton work. But after a few minutes of silence, Deaton placed the wood back onto the table and released Mercedes hand.

"Your son's claws, they're shaped more like a werewolf, correct?"

Mercedes nodded.

Deaton sighed and lowered his gaze back to the wood.

"Is that the look of defeat?" she asked.

"No, but it is the look of uncertainty." Deaton said. "Unfortunately, uncertainty in Beacon Hills has been known to get innocent people killed."

Mercedes nodded and folded her arms. "What **can** you tell me about the claws?"

Deaton straightened his back. "My best hypothesis, a very strong shape shifter. The similarities between your claws and these would suggest another Siren."

Mercedes swallowed with difficulty.

"However, Sirens are particularly territorial. If one had passed through Beacon Hills, you would have sensed it."

"Not necessarily." she stated. "My senses aren't as in tuned as your boys."

"It wouldn't matter." came a voice. Mercedes and Deaton turned to see Derek in the doorway to the exam room from the back entrance of the clinic. Derek stepped forward with his arms folded in front of his chest. "We've been trying to keep our senses open for anything new in town, but we haven't picked up anything yet."

"Did you follow me?" Mercedes demanded.

Derek shrugged, brushing the question off. His eyes were glued to the wood lying on the table. "I usually do."

Deaton pushed the conversation along. "Beacon Hills hasn't had any supernatural related deaths, nor any missing persons cases come up within the last few days. If we were dealing with another siren, we would already be seeing the signs."

"And tuned or not, you'd sense another of your kind." Derek mentioned. He took a pair of gloves from the box and slipped them over his hands. Derek carefully lifted the wood and examined it further.

"I can run a few tests, see what I can pull out of the wood. It may point us in a direction to find out what these claws belong to. And hopefully, keep it from killing any innocent people."

"Let me know what you find." Derek said. "Maybe I can find something on what we could be dealing with then."

Mercedes nodded to herself. "Don't forget to tell your Alpha." She turned around and walked out of the exam room.

Deaton took the wood from Derek. "Something tells me, she doesn't like being followed."

Derek sighed and followed after Mercedes. He pulled off his gloves and tossed them in the nearby trash bin. Mercedes was a few paces ahead of him, but he quickly gained on her as she reached the door. She pushed open the glass by the metal handle and stepped out into the autumn air.

"Cedes!" Derek called.

Mercedes spun around on him, nearly causing Derek to run her down. He hated it when she did that to him. He didn't like being caught off-guard. Lifting a finger, Mercedes released her growing rage. "What? Am I moving too fast for you to follow me?"

Derek winced at her words. In truth, he had no reason to follow her. The pack had no reason to keep tabs on her either, but they still did. Derek still did anyways. He needed to know that she and Bentley were doing alright. It was a constant thought that seemed to eat away at his mind from the moment he woke up. He couldn't explain it and that concerned him even more. He didn't have a reason to be concerned about them. Both Mercedes and Bentley were next to nothing to him. Just a kid, granted a very smart kid, and his mom, whom Derek happened to have slept with. The only contrast Mercedes had with Derek's ex girlfriends, what that the siren hadn't tried to kill him since sleeping with him. It was a small victory, but still a victory. But the look in her eyes seemed to warn him that it could very easily change.

"I understand that your pack doesn't trust me." Mercedes continued. "They don't have a reason to trust me. And i understand that. But that doesn't give them to right to keep tabs on me as if they're expecting me to kill someone."

"Scott doesn't think you're going to kill someone." Derek stated.

"But you do." It wasn't a question. It was **very** blunt statement. "That's why you're still here. you think I'm going to finally slip up and lose control."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't deny it either." she snapped. She spun on her heels and headed for her bike. Her boots slammed against the asphalt with each step away.

Derek followed after her. "The Sheriff put out an APD on Wayde this morning."

Mercedes stopped in her tracks and turned around toward Derek.

"He hasn't shown up for work and no one has seen him since last night." Derek explained.

"And everyone thinks it was me." she whispered.

"You and Wayde have been at each others throats for months-"

"Wherever Wayde is, I had nothing to do with it!" Mercedes yelled.

Derek stepped toward her. "I hope you're telling the truth, Mercedes. I really do."

Her honey eyes narrowed dangerously as she stared up at him. "I'm not a psychotic bitch like every one of your ex-girlfriends, Derek. And I'm not a psychotic murderer like your uncle." Derek felt his own temper flare. He new Mercedes had a sharp tongue that matched her temper. but he forgot how much of a bitch she could be. "But I will get **very** territorial on your sorry werewolf ass if you trespass onto my property again." She mounted her bike and started it up with a furious kick. The bike roared to life. Mercedes spun around, leaving a trail of burning rubber, and an irritated Derek in her wake.

* * *

so sorry for the gaps.! I promise I haven't forgotten this story...just a lot has happened. Don't worry though, things pick up the pace in the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Hours after her confrontation with Derek, Mercedes's temper hadn't lessened any. And after spending the remainder of her day, taking her anger out on cars, she decided to focus her anger on a more productive way. She stood in the massive library, surounded by shelf upon shelf of ancient books of mythical creatures. dozens were strewn out across the dark mahogony tables with the antique oil lamps flickering away. Mercedes had been researchign all that could on Sirens. At least, that was her intent. No matter how many book she picked up and searched, all she could think about was Derek. As much as she wanted to be furious at him, the bastard was right. She knew that she had a temper. Hell, the entire town knew that she and wayde were constantly at each others throats over her property. Who the hell wouldn't think she wanted Wayde out of her?

Mercedes groaned inwardly, closing ehr eyes. This was exactly the reason wh yshe didn't get involved with men anymore. THere was always a brief connection that still remained. And damn it if she didn't keep feeling it whenever she thought of Derek. The damn man was messing with her head even now.

With a heavy sigh of frustration, Mercedes closed the book with an echoing snap. She drew her hands up to her eyes, attempting to rub away the soreness she'd accumulated over the hours. She rose from the small table nad walked out of the library. She closed the heavy door behind her and turned the antique key to the right, lokcing the door. She removed the key and placed it into her pocket. She sighed again and ran her fingers through her messy hair.

"Mommy?" came a small call from the living room.

Mercedes frowned. Bentley was supposed to be in bed. At least three hours ago. It had been the one break Mercedes had forced herself to make. She walked down the hall toward the front living room. Benltey was sitting in the alcove within the window, staring. He was still in his pajamas with his hair lightly spiked in a few places, indicating that he'd gotten _some_ sleep since she'd tucked him in. As she drew nearer, Mercedes noticed that Bentley's position was tense. His eyes had taken up their golden tone.

Mercedes came up to his side. "What are you doing out of bed?"

Bentley point out the window. "I heard something out there."

Mercedes turned to look out the window, but tit did little good. Her eyes weren't as honed as her son's were. All she could see beyond her reflection, was the dark outline of Wayde's truck in the front yard, but only just. There was nothing deffinately that she could see, but the longer she stared out into the darkness, the more she felr that something was out there. "What is it, Benny?"

His voice was quiet and fearful. "It's Wayde."

Mercedes felt her muscles tense instantly. She walked away from the window toward the kitchen. She all but ripped open one of the drawers and fished out a flashlight. She returned to the front window. Bentley watched her closely as she approached. Mercedes grabbed the door handle before looking down at her son. "Lock the door behind me. And call Derek."

With a quick turn of her wrist, Mercedes opened the door and stepped outinto the darkness. She clsoed the door behind her, catching the turning of the lock from the other side. She took several steps form the door before turning toward the window. She couldn't see Bentley in his seat, which meant that he was in the process of calling Derek. Why she thought to call Derek was beyond her. But, if things took a turn for the worst, Mercedes would admittedly, gladly have Derek on her side than not. Turning away from the window, Mercedes turned on the flashlght and started toward the truck. She moved quickly across the from yard, her steps silenced by the grass. The night air sent a chill up her spine-or was it the anticipation of the unknown that she was heading toward. Mercedes could stop the shiver that crept along her body. She rubbed her bare shoulders, wiching she'd had enough sense to grab her sweater before stepping out into the cold. Though the flashlight remained ahead of her, guiding her toward the truck, Mercedes found her attention on everywhere but her destination. The familair feeling of dread steadily grew within her at each passing second she remained outside, but nothing revealed itself to her.

The truck finally appeared dead ahead of her, but only the truck. Wayde wasn't anywhere near it. Mercedes frowned and slowly paced around the truck, only to find herself alone. She sighed to herself and leaned against the tail of the truck. Soemthing was wrong. Bentley had said that Wayde out out in the area. Granted, Mercedes supposed that he hadn't meant the truck. Which then meant, that she needed to move further out. She turned from the truck and started to walk away, actchign ehr foot on the ground. Mercedes shined her liht on the ground, illuminating a foot. She swallowed slwoly and lowered herself onot her knees. She placed her hand on the tailgate of the truck and peaked beneath the undercarrage. Starting at the foot, the flashlight slwoly drew up the mangled body till it reached the bloodied face of Wayde.

Mercedes gasped, stumbling onto the grass in shock. THe sight that met her eyes wa sone she was not likely to forget any time soon. She had seen corpses mangled throughout her life, hell she'd nearly been one herself. but not even her father's corpse had been so mangle, so undefinable, as Wayde's. Blood saturated his thattered clothes from the massive gash that had been delivered to his chest. his face bore similar laceration, leaving bits of flesh hanging at odd angles. Only they had gone deeper than the surface, much like the wound to his chest. The gashes seemed to have gone through his skull. Whatever had done this was incredible strong.

Mercedes stumbled to her feet, putting as much distance between herslef and Wayde's body as she dcould. When she finally managed to get to her feet, she turned toward the house, only to stop short. The light in her hand shined down on the grass, where there were several sections patted down. Mercedes let her eyes take in the sight before her. There were no less than six sections that had been trampled down while the remainder of the grass stood upright. More over, there was a distinct change in the light, as if there was something standing in the light.

Another sensation of dread sweapt over her as the trampled grass rose only to have another patch crumble. THere was something in front of her. Soemthign she coudln't see, coming towrd her. Mercedes dropped the light and sprinted back toward the car. She could hear the steps coming after her, hearing the heavy breathing of her unseen stalker. She dropped to her knees and slid beneath the truck, bringing herslef right along side Wayde's corpse. The smell immediately assault her up until the truck shuddered as soemthing ran inot it. Mercedes froze, staring at the undercarriage. The truck groaned as whatever was on it shifted around, searching for her. Mercedes shifted, exposing her talons and fin. She rolled onto her stomache and waited. The truck tipped to her left. She heard something fall onto the grass and start to move beneath the truck. Mercedes watched her side for the moving grass. She could catch sight by the limited light that came from the house. She couldn't see what caused the grass to move, but she could see it getting clsoer to her. She lifted her arm, turning her fin down. A few more incehs and whatever it was, would find itself severed.

Suddenly the unseen thing drew back from the undercarriage. The weight shifted again, to the right this time. the truck shuddered as the weight suddenly vansihed altogether. Mercedes lay beneath the truck for a few moment, listening for any sounds of the creature, or to indicate why it had left. But all she could hear, was the sound of her own heartbeat hammering away inside her chets. Heistantly, Mercedes slwoly crawled to the edge of the truck. She eased herself into the open, fin still exposed to the air. She could see nothing around her as she emerged. Sitting on the ground, she leaned against the truck, trying to calm herself down.

Something grabbed her arm. Mercedes screamed and truned.

Derek was kneeling just to her left. He quickly let go of her arm. "What the hell happened?"

Mercedes sighed heavily and let the truck take ehr entire weight. "Damnit Derek!" She clsoed ehr eyes and lowered her face into her hand.

"Mercedes, what is going on?" he asked. He'd never seen her frightened before. Not liek this. His senses were on alert for anything, but he couldn't sense anything nearby. "Why is Benltey calling me."

Wihtout looking up at Derek. she gestured her head toward the truck. "We found Wayde."

Derek's brows furrowed. he bent over to look beenath the truck and moved away. "Oh my god."

Mercedes snorted humorlessly. "My thoughts exactly."

Derek grabbed her arm and pulled her up to her feet. For the first time in days, Mercedes didn't bother fighting him. She let him pull her away from the truck. She glanced behind them, watchign fro any signs of being followed. Derek fished his phone from his pocket and pushed Mercedes ahead of him. His eyes glowed blue while his right hand had shifted to expose his claws. Mercedes reached the door first and glanced behind them. There was still no sign of anything nearby, but both were still on edge.

She knocked on th door. "Benny, unlock the door."

Derek glanced back as the lock turned. THe door slowly opened, revealing Bentley pressed up against its wood. Derek knudged Mercedes inside and carefully pulled Bneltey off the door. He clsoed it behind him and locked it tightly.

"Who are you calling?" Mercedes asked. She was on the floor with Benltey against her.

"Scott." he answered. He sighed with frustration and lowed his phone. "Tyring to anyways. We need to call Sheriff Stillinski." He paused a moment, turning to the window.

"It's not there." Bentley said.

Both Derek and Mercedes looked down at Benltey.

"What's not there?"

"The thing that killed Wayde." he answered.

* * *

Mercedes watched from the front window alcove as the deputies work in the front. They'd shown un nearly an hour ago, taped off the truck and the surrounding area, and started documenting every thing. They'd only just started the nausiating task of removing Wayde's mutilated body from beneath the truck. Mercedes thanked God that she'd tucked Bentley in the library. This was not something her son needed to see.

"Miss Walker."

Mercedes turned her head toward the Sheriff. Ever since his arrival, the Sheriff had stayed in the house with her and kept every other deputy outside. Granted, that had everythign to do with the fact that his son, Scott, and Derek were still in the house. The former two having arrived prior to the police. Both were bustling with questions that no one seemed to have the answers for, not even herself.

"Sheriff, I've already told you everything I know." she answered, turning to look back out the window once more.

"Then let's change the perspective of the listeniners." he replied. "Tell me everything, and this time, don't leave out any detail."

Mercedes took a deep breath and turned to face them again. She swallowed, dropping her gaze from the floor. "I was in my library. Reading. I came out and found Bentley here, in the alcove. I'd tucked him in before going to the library, so I didn't understand why he was still up."

The Sheriff nodded. "What then?"

"I asked him why he wasn't in bed and I noticed he was...tense. For lack of a better word. He sensed something outside." she continued.

"Did he say what it was?"

Mercedes shook her head. "No. All he said what that Wayde was outside. He didn't say where, just that he was out there."

"And what did you do?"

"I got a flashlight from the kitchen, told Bentley to lock the door behind me, and to call Derek." Her gaze breifly shifted toward teh werewolf, who stood several feet from her. "And I went out."

"What did you see?"

"Nothing." she answered. "ANd that's the thing. I couldn't see anything. I'm not like the wolves with their senses. I can't sense emotions or pharamones, but I could sense something was out there. The whole time I made my way to the truck, I could sense something was watching me. I looked around the truck, but couldn't see anything. SO I decided to widen my area."

"And that's when you found Wayde?" the SHeriff asked.

Mercedes nodded, surpressing a shudder that begged to be released. Those moments would haunt her for weeks to come. "Yes."

"Why didn't you go back to the house?" Stiels asked. his dad covered his mouth, preventing Stiles from questioning her further.

"I tried." Merceds looked up from the ground. "I tried to run fro the house, but it was standing in front of me."

Scott frowned. "What was?"

Mercedes shook her head and shrugged in frustration. "I don't know! I couldn't see it, itself."

"But you saw something." Derek prodded.

"Yes." she answered sharply. "I saw indentations in the grass _moving_ toward me. I saw a change in light in front of me. I heard something breathing. And I felt something near it was, it was massive and strong. That truck nearly collapse beneath its weight and those claw makrs on Wayde's face didn't just peirce the skull, they cut it open like a hot knife cuts through butter."

The Sheriff turned to Derek. "That's about when you showed up, rihgt?"

Derek nodded.

"Did you see anything, hear anything?" he asked.

"No." Derek answered. His gaze lifted from the floor, directly at Mercedes.

She knew that look all too well. She'd see it far too many times to count. Distrust, doubt, suspision. He didn't beleive her story and his testimony was ensuring the others didn't either. MErcedes said nothing, it wouldn't do her any good, she already knew. She wasn't going to give them any more information that they could use to incriminate her on this affair. "Since we've gone over the story, again, Sheriff, I'd like you to leave my home. As you can see, it's been a very eventufly night. And I'd liek to try to forget it."

"I'm sure Wayde thought the same thing." Stiles muttered.

the Sheriff slapped him upside the head. Scott elbowed him in the ribs. Derek simply glared in the boys direction. Stiels was a smart boy, but he had an even smarter mouth. And neither of which he took care of watching.

"Goodnight." Mercedes said. She walked past each one of them, avoiding eye contact. And avoiding the need for comfort as she stormed past Derek. She reigned in her need and kept moving toward the library.

* * *

"That was totally uncalled for Stiles!" Scott exclaimed. "She was nearly attacked and you're treating her like killed Wayde."

"How do we know she didn't?" Stiles asked, gesturing with his hands. "LEts face it, she and Wayde have been going at it for months. The body is covered with claw marks. Claw marks that peirced the skull! That takes a lot of force and we all know what Mercedes is capable of."

"It wasn't her." Scott said.

"How do you know?"

"Because she wasn't lying." Derek stated, coming up behind Stiles.

Stiles spun around too fast for the safety of his balance and stumbled onto the ground at the wheelbase of his jeep.

"You heard it too?" Scott asked.

Derek nodded. His eyes remained on the surrounding wooded area. there were near the edge of the woods, but well out of the perimeter of the scouting deputies. There was soemthign different about this situation. Something that was nagging at his thoguht, but kept avoiding him entirely.

"Derek?"

Derek turned his head toward the property. the ambulance doors shut and the vehicle was driven down the road toward town. "Did you sense anything?"

Scott frowned. "What do you mean?"

"When you first arrived. Did you sense anything? Blood, water, anxiety?"

Scott shook his head, still uncertain. "No, nothing."

Derek looked at him for a moment.

Scott realized what he'd said. "I...I didn't sense anything."

"Wayde's body was saturated in blood. Deputies found a trailleading off into the woods." Derek explained. "And we can't smell it at all."

Stiles slowly got to his feet, exchanging glances between Scott and Derek. "Wait, if neither of you can sense it? THe only things you guys can't sense are MErceds and...Bentley." He paused for a moment. "Waht the hell does that mean?"

"It means that, either Mercedes is lying about the creature, or-"

"Or there's something new in Beacon Hills that we can't sense." Derek finished.

* * *

phew! another chapter!

If you guys find any misspellings, I'm sorry. my program doesn't have spellcheck and the site didn't want to proof for me. believe me, misspellings drive me nuts too.


	8. Chapter 8

Derek woke the next morning to the sound of the truck engine roaring to life. His eyes opened quickly, taking in what was happening around him. He watched the garage door open. The lit taillights outlines the truck as it backed out of the garage. Derek watched it turn, catching sight of Mercedes in the front. Even parked at the edge of the forest, Derek could see that she hadn't slept, or slept very little. There were shadows under her eyes and she didn't even appear to be dressed for work. The top of Bentley's bag appeared in the passenger seat while Bentley's head stuck out in the back. The boy's head was tilt to one side, indicating he was still sleeping. At first glance, it looked like they were leaving for the day, but the amount that was in the passenger seat made Derek think that they wouldn't come back for a few days. And at the moment, he wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not.

Derek waited until the truck was on the dirt road and traveling back toward town before he climbed out of his car. He closed the door and took a moment to take in the area. He could hear the fading sound of the trucks engine, some miles off there was the creek, but that was it. No sounds of nearby wildlife. No birds, coyotes, mice, snakes, nothing. Derek frowned and leaned his back against the door. There was never silence surrounding Beacon Hills, unless something caused it. Before he let his thoughts drift further than they had, Derek shook his head. He needed to focus on one task at a time. Maybe if kept to his plan, he'd find answers to emerging questions.

He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text before shoving it back into his pocket. Derek pushed himself off his car and headed toward the open field across from the Walker property. The only sound that he found were those of his own footsteps crossing the field. He walked until he stood in the exact spot where Wayde's truck had been the night before. The grass bore some marks from the town truck and indentations of Wayde's body. Derek knelt down and took a more detailed look. He found the body indentation and each pf the tire indentation. He could see a slight imprint where Mercedes had been, and those had been the easiest tracks to see. He pulled out his phone and starting taking pictures, hoping they would help piece together the story. Outside the initial area, the grass was littered with other tracks, police tracks. As Derek lengthened his search, he saw the extent of damage the police had caused. The trail leading up to the house was almost completely gone. He could make out Mercedes prints and a few deeper indentations, but the distance between them didn't make sense yet.

Derek shook his head and turned his attention to the bloody trail that lead away from the house. He snapped a few shots of the trail as he headed toward the forest line once more. The trail headed toward the northeast forest line, across the construction fields. Derek followed them, taking note of any tracks that came up. Each step drew him further into the woods, out of sight. Conveniently out of sight if anyone arrived, he noted. The trail continued to lead him away, but he noticed that the trail seemed to be lessoning in blood quantity. That is, the quantity of blood on the trail wasn't much at all. It wasn't a surprise that the cops couldn't find one hours ago.

His foot found a dip in the earth, catching his attention. Derek took a step back and looked down at his feet. The indentation was four inches in diameter, perfectly round, and at least an inch into the ground. Derek turned his attention back to the area as a whole and quickly found it littered with indentations. The nearest one was five feet from him. He walked to the next indentation and found it exactly the same. The next one was five feet from him, again. He snapped a few more pictures and followed the indentation trail deeper into the forest, but it didn't go far.

Derek found himself at a dead end when the trail cut off abruptly. The trees had grown thick and the undergrowth on the floor covered every inch of the sharp sloping earth. There was nothing then. No blood, no trail, nothing to keep him going at this angle. Derek shook his head. Nothing was making any sense.

The sound of a car engine broke Derek from his train of thought. Turning toward the tree line, Derek made his way out of the wood and back toward the Walker property line. He emerged just as the Sheriff's vehicle pulled up alongside his and came to a stop. the Sheriff cut the engine and climbed out of his car.

"What did you find?" The Sheriff asked.

Derek gestured back toward the woods. "This way." He led the way back through the tree line and into the forest, taking it slow so the Sheriff could take in the trail and the indentations himself. They stopped where Derek had when the trees grew too thick. "Trail ends here."

Stilinski sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his head. "Well that doesn't do us much good. Or the Walker's for that matter."

Derek turned to the Sheriff. "They think she did it?"

"Wouldn't you?" he countered. "Walker's been a Wayde's source of contempt since she bought the property and he's made her life a living hell. Hell, the entire town knows when he pisses her off and they've come to determine, on their own, that she has quite a temper."

"But she's not the only enemy Wayde's ever made." Derek stated.

"She's the only one who's stood up to him before." the Sheriff replied. He lowered his voice. "And killing isn't beneath her."

Derek shook his head. "She won't kill-or attack even- unless someone or something provokes her. _Any_ time she's struck out, it was retaliation."

"What makes you think that _this_ wasn't retaliation?" the Sheriff asked.

"Why would she bring the body out here?" Derek replied. "Her property is a hundred yards from here, it'd be the first thing the police searched when they found Wayde's body. Mercedes is far from an idiot, if she _had_ killed Wayde, we never would've found his body."

"You tryin' to convince me or yourself?" he asked.

Derek paused for a moment, considering his words carefully. "This whole thing just feel wrong. It's too perfect."

Stilinski nodded. "I know what you mean. And all we're finding is more stockpile for the prosecutors against Walker. Hopefully Deaton comes back with good news."

"what do you mean?" he asked.

"Forensics pulled some kind of substance off Wayde's body. I sent Deaton a sample to see what he could make of it." the Sheriff explained. "It's the only thing that could make or break the case right now."

Derek sighed and turned his attention back to the area. Something felt so wrong about this, but he couldn't prove it. _Was_ something wrong, or was he simply _wanting_ something to be wrong because it involved Mercedes and Bentley? His senses had been on alert since he arrived last night, and they hadn't eased since. It was like there was danger around but his body couldn't pin point where it was coming from.

"Does it seem quiet to you?" Stilinski asked. "Where are all the animals?"

Derek turned to Stilinski, who was looking at the trees. He brought up another point-where were the animals. "Something scared them off."

"Some_thing_ or some_one_?"

"I'm not sure." Derek admitted. "Last time this happened we had an Alpha pack to deal with."

"But the Walker's have been here since the summer." Stilinski finished.

Derek nodded. "If it was them, we would've had signs before this."

Stilinski sighed in frustration. "This job was so much easier when I didn't know what you kids were up to."

"They do say '_ignorance is bliss'_." Derek replied.

Stilinski snorted. "Clearly they've never met a werewolf." He sighed to himself. "I've gotta head back to the station. If you find anything else-"

"I'll let you know." Derek finished.

"_Before_ my son, please." Stilinski stated. He started off toward his car.

Derek turned slowly and followed the sheriff out of the forest. Every few steps he glanced back over his shoulder, just on the off chance that he might've missed something. But there was nothing around them, or at least, he didn't see anything new. His phone buzzed in his pocket, taking his attention. He fished out his phone and found Chris Argent on the screen. "Hello?"

_"Derek, it's Chris Argent. I just received a call from Mercedes Walker, that might interest you."_ Chris stated.

Derek frowned. "What kind of call?"

"The kind that results in a meeting, tonight."

"Where?"

Neither noticed the lacerations in the treetops, nor the blood dripping from the leaves, nor the bloody abandoned mine entrance at the base of the slope.

* * *

I'm so sorry it's been so long since in update. There's been a lot happening. But I have not given up on this story I swear! And it'll get a lot more interesting too, I swear.


	9. Chapter 9

The club was packed to the brim, fairly typical for a Friday night. Not that Chris Argent frequented the clubs of Beacon Hills. Save for the incident with Jackson the first winter his family arrived in Beacon Hills. But that had been business, as was tonight's reason for occupying the overly crowded building. Chris had arrived a few minutes after the club opened and took up a position along the wall. It gave him ample sightings throughout the entire floor. So he saw the exact moment when his target entered the club. He watched her make her way from the door, across the dancefloor, and to the bar nearly an hour after he arrived.

Chris rose from the booth, for the first time since arriving, and slowly made his way to the bar. He kept out of her line of sight, keeping to the throng of the crowd on the dancefloor. He knew her senses weren't as keen as the packs, but he going on the side of caution, gripping the iron ice pick tightly within his coat sleeve. He came up directly behind her. Her leather jacket was draped over the stool to her left. Her sweater was wrapped around her body while her oil stained skinny jeans were tucked into her boots that hung several inches above the floor. Her fingers were still stained, implying that she hadn't had time to wash after work, or that she was just in that much of a hurry that washing had simply slipped her mind. Either way, her fingers left oil stains on her glass that she'd been nursing.

"Hope you've got a good number for a limit." he said, making his presence known. "Too many of those and people will really start talking."

Mercedes turned to look over her right shoulder, where Chris had appeared, clearly caught off guard by his sudden appearance.

Chris took the stool on her right. "I got your message. And did a little investigating into your request."

"And?"

"And you're not going to enjoy what I have to tell you." he answered.

"Seems to be a theme lately." Mercedes shrugged. "What did you find."

"I searched for creatures with the attributes you gave me." he explained. "Given one of these attributes, results were scarce, but both of them gave me only two options. The first was Kanima. And the second-"

"A Siren." she finished.

Chris nodded. "A Siren."

Mercedes lowered her head into one of her hands. She knew contacting Chris Argent for information wouldn't guarantee he'd find anything useful, but she was running out of options and people she could trust. Nit that really trusted Argent. He was a hunter and if he felt he was a threat, he could kill her. Actually kill her. He was familiar with her species and knew how to kill them. Not even Mercedes knew that.

"I'm sorry it's not what you want." Chris replied.

Mercedes shrugged. "It was along shot. But thank you for accepting my offer." She turned to her coat and reached into her pocket. She pulled out an envelope and placed it in front of him. "Payment as stated in my call." Mercedes stood up from her stool and laid out a handful of bills for her drink. She slipped her arms into her sleeve. "Did you see what became of Wayde?"

Chris looked up at her. "I did."

"Have you ever seen anything similar?"

"One of my men was killed by a Kanima." Chris explained. "Laceration patterns were similar to Wayde's body."

"And there's nothing else that you believe is capable of this kind of slaughter?" Mercedes asked.

"Not to this magnitude." he answered.

Mercedes nodded and zipped up her coat. "I'm sorry for wasting your time Mr. Argent." She turned quickly and easily disappeared into the crowd.

Chris turned his eyes back to the envelope laid out in front of him. That was the one stipulation that he hadn't addressed, but now wished he had. The amount of money Mercedes had offered was absurd, but that fact that she had brought it to the club meant two things to Chris. She honored her deals, and that she was _very_ desperate for help.

"That could've gone better." Derek stated, taking Mercedes now vacant seat.

"Could've gone worse." Chris stated. "Could've had a reason to use the ice pick."

Derek arched a brow. "Ice pick?"

"Solid cast iron." Chris explained. "One of the few things that can irrevocably harm a siren. Keep that in mind, Derek."

Derek nodded and stood up to follow after Mercedes.

"Derek." Chris called. He lifted the envelope. "Take this to her too. She's desperate for answers and her judgements not too clear at the moment."

Derek took the envelope. "Her worlds starting to fall apart around her, can't exactly blame her."

"No, but we can't let that be a reason to not be on our guard around her, either." Chris replied.

"Did you mean what you said? About not seeing anything like this before?"

Chris stood from his stool. "Completely. If Mercedes comes back innocent, and we truly do have something out in those woods, it's unlike anything I've ever seen before. Or anything my family has ever seen. Keep the pack on alert, Derek."

Derek nodded and dove into the crowd, holding the envelope and the other papers he'd brought, close to him. He easily maneuvered his way through the crowd and toward the exit. He cause a glimpse of Mercedes passing through the exit doors and took a quick pursuit of her. he weaved around the incoming patrons and slipped out the doors. Mercedes was a few yards from him, but in a matter of steps, Derek closed the distance in seconds. "You know, people could think that you were paying Chris off for killing Wayde."

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Not your best opening line if you want me back in your bed, Hale."

Damn she knew where to hit. Derek stepped in front of her, effectively stopping Mercedes on the sidewalk. "If I wanted you back in my bed, we both know I wouldn't have to try very hard." Yes it was low, and the look in her eyes was a clear attempt at her trying to commit murder through her mind, but he needed to get her attention. "I'm simply telling you that if anyone gets any ideas, the police could easily believe you hired Chris to kill Wayde."

"So their assumptions go from psychotic murderous bitch to deviously plotting bitch." Mercedes stated.

"That's one way of looking at it. "Derek stated.

"Well, thank you for more good news, Derek. Excuse me." she side stepped him and continued toward her bike.

Derek caught her arm, pulling her to a stop again. "Not yet. There's something you need to see." He help out the papers toward her.

Mercedes frowned and slowly took the papers into her hands. She quickly recognized the payment envelope but resisted the question for now. Her eyes focused on the papers. "What are these?"

"Forensics pulled a substance off Wayde's body. Stilinski brought a sample to Deaton to see if he could match it with anything." Derek explained. "First page is the sample from Wayde."

Mercedes turned to the second page and found it highly similar to the first. "And this one?"

"That's your poison sample when you immobilized the Sheriff last summer." Derek answered.

Mercedes felt her blood turn to solid ice. A massive weight sunk within her chest. This was impossible. How was everything pointing to her? How?

"Mercedes." Derek called. But her eyes remained distant and unfocussed. Derek stepped closer and touched her chin. "Cedes."

Her eyes refocused and rose to meet his. "The police are trying to prove this was you. This would give them probable cause, but we both know they can't pin you with this. But if they find anything else on you, they'll bring you in."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I don't want to see you brought in." he explained. "Everything is pointing to you and the only thing that is putting doubt in any of us, is that you're not lying. But we need something more than that. Is there anything you can tell me, that will throw suspicion off you?"

Mercedes lowered her eyes and was silent for a moment. Derek kept his eyes on her the entire time, watching different thoughts pass through her mind, but unable to decipher what thoughts had passed. She turned her head and snorted humorlessly. "Do you think I killed Wayde?"

Derek blinked. "What?"

"You've seen what I can do up-close. You know my temper." Mercedes looked back up at him. "Do you think that I killed Wayde?"

Of course she's ask him the same question he'd been asking himself. He'd been battling with himself over that question all day and he wasn't any closer to figuring it out for himself than he was when he woke up. "I don't know."

Mercedes broke her arm free, with far more force than necessary, and turned away from him. "Yes you do." Without another word, she stalked off to her bike and tore into the street.

Derek stood along the sidewalk and watched her until she turned the corner. He gave a frustrated sigh and ran his hand through his hair. _Did_ he think she was guilty? Everything was pointing to her, so why was he making such a fuss over proving her innocent? Hell, Scott and Stiles had no problem convincing him that Jennifer was responsible for killing people last spring. Derek could even tell that Jennifer had been lying to him, to his face, but he still didn't want to believe her. Now here was Mercedes, telling the absolute truth to his face, but having everything pointing to her. This was either going to be the perfect frame job, or Mercedes was proving she was the greatest actress he'd ever met. Derek hoped it was the first one, he wasn't sure he could take adding another psychotic lady to his list of women he'd slept with.

* * *

Mercedes pulled up to the hotel and shut off her bike. She pulled her helmet from her head and tossed it onto the ground. She ran her hands over her face with frustration, trying to resist allowing the tears to fall. How could she have been so stupid. To think that Derek would believe her. She should've left well enough alone and left the town completely like she planned. Why put herself through hell every time she met up with him? Now she couldn't leave without raising suspicion. Mercedes took a deep breath and retrieved her phone. Shakily, she scrolled through the contact list until she found the one and dialed. She brought the phone to her ear and waited.

"You've reached Lincoln Walker. Leave your name and number and I'll get back to you."

**BEEP**.

Mercedes swallowed. "Lincoln...it's Cedes. Some...something happend...in Beacon Hills. I'm=I'm in trouble. I need you to come get Bentley as...as soon as you can. It's...um...it's pretty bad." She quickly hung up as the tears started falling down her face.

* * *

Look 2 chapters in one day! Okay, so now that everything it REALLY against Mercedes...lets get going to the fun stuff. Cause you know it's going to happen.


	10. Chapter 10

Mercedes woke the following morning to a pounding sound that resonated in her skull. Had she ever been hung over in her life, she might've assumed that that was the cause of her head throbbing with the sound. She opened her eyes, still groggy from sleep, and pushed the hotel covers off her body. After discovering Wayde body in her front yard, She'd decided that staying at a hotel might be a safer choice. Yes, they could've stayed in the library, but if another body ended up on her property, Mercedes didn't want to be anywhere near it. But tonight would be a different story. With the full moon, they couldn't be near anyone. They'd have to take their chances back at the house.

Another set of pounding from the door echoed into her ear drums.

"Mercedes Walker, this is Sheriff Stilinski. I want you to open the door."

Mercedes frowned. What was the Sheriff doing this early. "I'm coming." She stood up from the bed and made her way to the door.

"Mama?" Bentley called.

Mercedes looked back toward Bentley. "It's okay, sweetie." She turned to the door and opened it.

The Sheriff and several of his Deputies stood outside the door. Looking past them, Mercedes could make out four cruisers in the parking lot, and each officer had their weapon in their hands.

"Sheriff." she said.

"Miss Walker." Stilinski said.

"What bring you here this morning?"

"Tracy Hills." he answered gravely.

Mercedes frowned. "What happened to Tracy?"

"She's dead." he answered.

Mercedes felt her mouth drop opened. "What?"

"She was found dead in her home." Stilinski explained. "Found just like Wayde. Witnesses say they saw you leaving her house last night. Placing you as the last person to see her alive."

"I went by to pick up Bentley." Mercedes explained. She knew it was useless, but she couldn't go down without fighting. Metaphorically speaking, anyway.

Stilinski nodded. "I understand that, Miss Walker. The witnesses mentioned that. But, I still need to take you in. I'm hoping you'll do so quietly."

Mercedes nodded slowly. "I'll come Sheriff." She opened the door fully, revealing Bentley still on the bed.

"Social services can take your son-"

"My brother will be in town to pick him up."

"Deputy Parish can take him down to the station and your son can wait for your brother there." Stilinski explained.

Mercedes nodded. "Will you let me explain things to him first, Sheriff?"

Stilinski nodded. "Just be quick, Miss Walker."

Mercedes turned back toward the room. "Benny, mommy has to go with the Sheriff. Uncle Lincoln's coming in to pick you up for a visit with your cousins, but until he gets here, the Deputy's going to bring you to the station to wait for him."

"Are we in trouble mama?" Bentley asked.

Mercedes shook her head. "No sweetie, you're not in trouble. You just get to ride in the police car today. I bet the Deputy might even turn the siren on for you."

"Miss Walker." Stilinski called.

Mercedes turned and stepped out of the hotel room. "Am I walking with the bracelets?"

Stilinski held up the hand cuffs. "Just procedure."

Mercedes nodded and held out her wrists. The cold metal snapped tightly around her wrists. Everything seemed to crash through her mind at once. She was actually being taken in. It wasn't for questioning. She wouldn't have been handcuffed if it was for questioning. No, they had evidence on her and they were bringing her in for murder charges. Stilinski led her to the closest cruiser. Each step seemed heavier than the last one. Mercedes felt as if she were out of her body and she was watching the actions of an unfamiliar person being walked by an officer. Stilinski opened the back door and eased her inside. The door closed on her, cutting off the growing crowd. She looked out the back window, toward her room. Deputy Parrish came out of the hotel room with Bentley beside him. Clutching the blanket to him, Bentley watched as the Sheriff drove away with Mercedes in the back of his cruiser. When Bentley was completely out of her sight, Mercedes realized just how real the situation had become.

* * *

Hours of interrogation, repeated stories, and a nightmare headache later, Mercedes was seated in one of the county cells in the precinct. She had given her story in at least ten ways, never once leaving out any detail or name. She had been asked the same question at least a hundred times by the same officer that couldn't seem to understand anything beyond a secondary school critical thinking level. And certainly smelled like an attendee at secondary school as well. Mercedes couldn't understand how the Sheriff tolerated the man's complete lack of personal hygiene. But worse than her complete lack of rights being violated in several forms, no officer could be persuaded to give her any information about her son's situation. She hadn't been given an update after the Sheriff, and the Deputy that had brought Bentley in, had left several hours ago. That had been _after_ the Sheriff had interrogated her. Every officer that had come in contact since then had regarded her as a guilty party and seemingly felt that she didn't deserve to be treated any different from one. No phone call for an attorney, no rights to the bathroom during her interrogation hours, no knowledge about her son, nothing.

Seated on the pitiful excuse for a bed, Mercedes took a deep breath and closed her eyes. At least there she could block out the disgusted looks of the deputies in the precinct. against the wall with her legs drawn up beneath her body, she grew completely still. It was so easy to simply be. To let the world pass around her. She'd never truly felt the need to be active, simply because she never had enough to be truly idle. But there were times, growing up in the caravan, that Mercedes could remember climbing on top of the caravan roof and just sit on top. She remembered how she could let an entire day pass away while she sat on the roof. And it never felt like a waste to her.

"Lincoln called."

Mercedes eyes snapped open. Her entire body turned toward the cell door, where Derek now stood. How Derek managed to get to the cell block without being seen was a question fro another time. She quickly stood from her bed and moved to the bars. "And?"

"The soonest he can get here is tomorrow morning." Derek explained. His back was against the wall so his attention was on the entryway. Not that he really needed to watch the opening. "Child services is putting Bentley into foster care until Lincoln gets to town."

Panic flooded Mercedes. She grabbed the bars and pulled herself into them. "They can't do that!"

"They've already taken him."

"When?" she demanded.

Derek was stunned by the sound of her voice. Had services taken her son without her notification? "Hours ago. They've already placed him with a family."

Mercedes shook her head. "He can't stay there."

"Stilinski doesn't have a choice."

"Derek, he could kill someone" she explained.

It took only a few seconds for Derek to realize what had Mercedes so terrified. "Full moon."

"Bentley hasn't learned how to control himself yet." she stated.

Derek rubbed his forehead. "He'll kill the foster family tonight."

"You have to get him out of there." Mercedes ordered.

That was an impossible feat. The house would most likely be on police watch, since Mercedes was his mother. The police would want eyes on him in case she broke out. Which was probably what they expected her to do by telling her that Child Services had taken her son. Bottom line, anyone who went to the house to get Bentley would easily get caught. It wouldn't be easy, but the pack had to get the boy out. "Child Services put officers on the foster home. Getting in won't be easy."

"And that's your problem." Mercedes spat. "All my son and I wanted was to find a quiet town to live in, but your pack just wouldn't leave us alone."

"We are not responsible for this." Derek replied.

"You didn't bother trying to help either." she stated. "All you've done is make things worse. Because you wouldn't trust me."

"How could we?"

"Because I never lied to you." Mercedes grip tightened on the bars. "Every time you asked a question, you know I never lied. You knew I was telling the truth, but you didn't do anything to help me. Because you risk being wrong."

"Being wrong means that someone dies." Derek explained.

"Your pack was wrong, again." Mercedes pointed. "So, if the pattern holds, that means someone's going to die again. And if it's my son, not even Deaton or Argent can stop me from coming after your pack."

Derek narrowed his eyes. He knew all too well what she was threatening. And he knew that if it came down to it, Mercedes was perfectly capable of taking down the pack on her own. He leaned toward her. "Don't go anywhere."

Mercedes released one hand from the bars and extended her middle finger.

Derek smirked. "Not this time." He turned before Mercedes could make anymore gestures. He did, however, catch a few Romanian words strung together. It didn't take a linguist to know she was cussing him out. Derek easily slipped passed the officers and out the back. He moved down the alley toward his Camaro and Stiles jeep, where Stiles and Scott were waiting.

"Well?" Scott asked.

"She is very unhappy." Derek stated, coming to a stop beside the jeep.

"Well who wouldn't be?" Stiles stated. "She got woken up at god knows what time this morning. Spent the morning in interrogation. Has had to eat the crap food. And just got her son placed into foster care. Who would be happy?"

"You missed having her rights revoked." Derek stated.

Stiles' eyes bulged. "Are you serious?"

Derek nodded. "Deputies even neglected to inform her that child services took Bentley into her custody."

Stiles was speechless momentarily. He couldn't believe the officers were complete assholes. He knew for a fact none of them liked Wayde and the second victim wasn't an officer. All he could manage to understand was that the officers must've felt disgusted by the discovery of the bodies conditions. Which still couldn't be proven that Mercedes had actually cut them in half.

"And Bentley?" Scott asked, disrupting Stiles' thought.

"We were right." Derek explained. "Bentley hasn't learned to control himself during a full moon yet."

"And child services set him up with a foster family." Stile stated. "It's like sending an alcoholic to a wedding with an open bar. The kid can't stay there."

"The house has deputies posted outside, we'd never get close during the day." Scott said.

"So we go at night?" Stile suggested.

Scott shook his head. "It'd be too dangerous then."

"We don't have a choice." Derek explained. "I'll get into the house and get Bentley out."

"Why you?" Stiles asked.

"He trusts me." Derek explained.

Scott nodded. "That'll help. You can try to keep him in control until you get him back to his house."

"He's not going back there."

"Why the hell not?" Stiles demanded.

"Because it's not safe." Derek explained. He watched the boys closely for a minutes. "There's still something out there using Beacon Hills for its hunting ground. And so far, that means Mercedes property and the properties around it."

Scott swallowed anxiously. "Will your loft hold him?"

Derek nodded. "Yeah."

Scott nodded. "Do. But watch your back."

Derek turned and climbed into his car. He revved the engine and took off around the station. Scott and Stiles climbed into Stiles jeep and headed out of the station lot. Scott stared out the window as they drove down the road, his head buzzing with all the information.

"Is Derek's right?" Stiles asked. "About things not being over?"

"You think Mercedes killed those people?" Scott asked.

Stiles took a deep breath. "Honestly, no. I don't think it was her."

Scott looked over at Stiles. Last night, Stiles had been on Mercedes case one hundred percent. "What made you change your mind?"

"It's all too convenient." Stiles explained. "That teacher, the one that Mercedes was the last one to see alive. Way too convenient that she was murdered after Mercedes left with her son. And if she'd done, Bentley would've given her up by now."

"That's his mom."

"I didn't say he'd give her up intentionally." Stiles said. "Kids talk. And with all this, he's gotta be stressed. Bentley would've said something hours ago and he hasn't."

Scott nodded. "Which leaves us with a very big question."

"What supernatural creature is using Beacon Hills as its hunting ground now?" Stiles asked.

* * *

okay so I know the first section was really lame. And I am not familiar with child services procedure, so cut me some slack. I'm getting chapters done for once. Anyways the next chapter is where the adrenaline really gets pumping. I know I always say that, but this time I REALLY mean it. I mean, come on, Mercedes is in jail and Derek is about to kidnap her son from foster care. Something interesting is GOING to happen.


	11. Chapter 11

The foster family that had taken custody of Bentley Walker were the Michaelson's. Derek had easily found the information lying on one of the deputies desks when he snuck into the precinct that afternoon. On paper, the family seemed like a good option. They had been a foster family for years, even had children on their own. A large home, plenty off acreage. No criminal activity, not even a parking ticket or overdue book noted. It wasn't until Derek arrived at the house that he realized just how dangerous the situation had become.

The home was a multilevel home. ground level garage, second floor with a balcony, and a basement. Front porch illuminated by the light. Welcoming signs, everything to make the home more welcoming for children. Swing sets, forts, and sports equipment littered in the backyard. The only downside was that it was only a mile from the Walker property line.

Derek felt his instincts tearing at his control and not because of the full moon. It had been happening throughout the day, but the moment he set foot on the property line, his instincts had nearly tripled. Like it was trying to warn him about danger. Knowing the last time he'd ignored his instincts, Derek decided that now was as good a time as any to trust them. Whatever was setting him off was not something to take lightly. He needed to get Bentley out of that house and out of danger.

The deputy cruiser was parked just out of sight beside the driveway, pointing toward the road. Derek had snuck past them in his Camaro easily without his headlights. And it was just as easy to slip past them on foot. He made his way across the yard and leapt onto the garage roof. His footsteps were quiet as he moved across the roof, keeping low, just on the off chance the deputy decided to check on the property within the next few minutes. Derek reached the adjoining wall of the house and knelt on the roof. He tilt his head toward the walls, listening for signs of Bentley within the walls. He could hear the Michaelson's on the ground floor. Both in the kitchen. He focused on the sounds in the house. Mrs. Michaelson was working with a knife, grinding it again a marble countertop. Her husband was gathering dished from the upper cupboard to her right.

_"You're sure this was a good idea?"_ he asked his wife.

_"The boy needed a place to stay until he uncle came by in the morning. What was i supposed to say?" _she replied. _"Besides, we've never said 'no' to a child before."_

_"None of them came from psychotic parents." _Mr. Michaelson replied.

Derek growled under his breath.

"That doesn't mean the boy was part of it."

"Maybe the boy was used as bait to throw off suspicion?" he suggested. "that boy looked pretty shook up this morning when we picked him up. Looked like he was going to throw up."

Derek could hear the wife nod.

_"A lot of kids have looked like that when we pick them up, remember?"_ the wife replied. _"But you're right, he didn't look good this morning. And I haven't heard much out of him all day either."_

"Is he still in the bedroom?"

"Hasn't left all day."

Derek rose from the roof and jumped onto the balcony. He carefully slid the glass door opened and entered the master bedroom. The master bed was along the wall to his right, made, and good number of years old. He closed the glass door and eased his way to the door leading to the hallway. Derek gently turned the doorknob and eased it open. The hall was decorated with pictures of foster children and the Michaelson's children, but empty of any people. There were several doors along the hall on both his left and right. Derek eased himself out into the hall and quietly made his way down to the last door, just a few feet from the stairway. He carefully entered and closed the door behind him.

The room was painted in different shades of blue and decorated with a variety of wall stickers, from animals to movie heroes. On the far wall was a bunk bed loft system. The loft bed ran parallel to the wall while the bottom bunk ran perpendicular from the wall. The wood was painted a dark blue to match the theme of the room. There were bookshelves secured to the wall with a variety of different books for different children's ages. The closest was open and full of different sized clothing. There was a window across the room, above the small desk. Nothing was amiss. Save for the child cowering under the bed.

Derek slowly approached the bed. He could hear Bentley whimpering beneath the mattress. "Bentley."

The whimpering stopped instantly.

"Come on out, bud." Derek tried. He knelt beside the bed and slowly lifted the blankets. He could see a pair of golden eyes staring back at him. Bentley was laying on the floor beneath the bed, clutching his blanket tightly to him. Derek could see how hard the boy was fighting his instincts to kill everything. "We need to get somewhere safe."

Bentley's lips parted, revealing his fangs. A small growl escaped him.

Derek reached his arm beneath the bed, stopping a few inches from Bentley. "I'm here to help. You trust me, right?"

Bentley looked down at the arm in front of him. He reached his clawed arm out toward Derek's and took hold, digging his claws into Derek's wrist. Derek winced, but pulled the boy out form the bed. The boy was trembling as he slid out. His hair was matted down, soaked from hours of hiding. His face was red and warm. His eyes were slightly swollen from crying for hours. Derek had never seen the boy look so upset before, and he was still trying to control himself. Derek gathered Bentley into his arms and gently rubbed the boys back.

"We're getting out of here." Derek whispered. He stood up and headed toward the window. He pushed back the curtain and slid the glass pane.

Suddenly, Bentley stiffened in his arms. Derek looked down at the boy for a moment before he sensed it too. Bentley's grip tightened on Derek's arms, but he didn't notice it. The house had grown far too quite. Derek slowly lowered Bentley on top of the desk, keeping his eyes on the door. His own nails shifted into claws and fangs emerged. The was something inside the house.

"Derek?" Bentley asked.

"Stay here." he ordered. He slowly stepped away from the desk and moved toward the bedroom door. He focused his hearing throughout the house. He tuned out the sound of Bentley's accelerated heartbeat as well as his own. He could barely hear the Michaelson's heartbeats. One of them was stuttering and slowing down. The other one was accelerating. A scream tore through the entire house, making Bentley jump. It was coming from the first floor.

"Run!" Derek ordered. He tore open the bedroom door and sprinted out into the hall. Derek jumped the stairs and landed in the entryway. He quickly rounded the corner and was immediately greeted by the overpowering scent of blood.

Mr. Michaelson's body lay strewn out in pieces. His upper torso was laid across the wooden coffee table, his head turned toward Derek. The man's face was frozen with horrific fear. His left hand had been partially removed at the wrist, but was still held on with a few tendons. His lower half was already in two pieces. One leg draped at the knee over the back of the sofa while the second was inside the active fireplace adding the stomach churning scent flooding Derek's senses.

A strangled gurgling sound caught Derek's attention. It was coming from the kitchen. Derek leapt over the coffee table and raced through the archway. He skid to a stop, unable to believe what he was seeing. Mrs. Michaelson was suspended in midair, pressed against the far wall. Her head was bent at an angle, as if something had taken hold of her my the throat and held her against the wall. Blood spilled from the wound to her throat, spilling down the kitchen wall onto the floor. Her body hung limp in midair, but she was still alive, struggling to breath. Derek looked around for some kind of weapon. He spotted the knife she had been using minutes ago and grabbed it. Derek threw it across the room. The blade sliced through the air and stopped several inches from Mrs. Michaelson's chest. An ear splitting shriek filled the entire kitchen. It was unfamiliar and excruciatingly painful, reverberating through Derek's entire body. He clutched his ears tightly, but never took his eyes off Mrs. Michaelson's body.

Whatever had taken hold of Mrs. Michaelson, not longer felt she was worth the effort and dropped her. Her body slumped to the floor, scattering the blood all around her. The knife shifted in midair, as if something was turning toward Derek. His eyes shifted to the floor, catching movement in the blood. There really was something there. Something he couldn't see. Something that was coming for him.

Derek sprinted back into the living room. He leapt over the back of the sofa, racing for the stairs. Behind him, he could hear the creature chasing after him, crashing into everything in its path, clearing not caring about anything but chasing him down. Derek leapt the stairs and turned into the first bedroom. He slammed the door shut and shoved the bed system up against the door. The door shuddered as the creature slammed into it. Whatever it was shrieked again, causing Derek to cringe. He turned toward the window to find that Bentley had already jumped. The door behind him splintered as the creature tried to force himself through. Derek sprinted for the window. Another round of splintering wood echoed through the house as the creature destroyed the bunk bed, shrieking as it clawed its way into the room. Derek jumped as he reached the window, drawing his legs up.

The creature suddenly slammed into his back, sending them both through the window. The glass shattered on impact. The force ripped the window frame from the wall, sending chunks of debris crashing to the ground. Derek landed on his stomach, momentarily losing the air in his lungs. He could feel the creature thrash around above him. He drew up his legs and rolled, freeing himself from the confines of the creature. He turned, searching for signs of Bentley nearby.

Suddenly a stabbing pain erupted in his side. Derek cried out and looked down at his side. He could feel something digging inside his body. Blood seeped from the wound as his body started growing cold. The stinger was ripped from his body, and hurled Derek into a nearby tree. His body shattered the tree trunk and sent the tree toppling to the ground. Derek looked up form the ground and caught sight of a tail whipping through the darkness, going after Bentley. Derek tried to get up, but his body wouldn't respond. His entire right side was growing cold and numb, preventing him from giving chase. So he did the only thing he could do. He howled into the night.

* * *

told ya so...


	12. Chapter 12

"Remind me why we're staking our the sheriff station?" Lydia asked. She was seated in the front seat of Stiles Jeep. She cautiously reached into one of the three fast food bag in the car.

Stiles swallowed his mouthful of fries. "We're watching the station in case anything weird happens."

"Yeah I know, Stiles. We're watching in case whatever's been hunting around Mercedes place, comes here for her." Lydia snapped.

"Then why did you-?"

"Because that's not what I asked." she stated. "Why are _we_ the ones here? If whatever killed Wayde shows up, what the hell are we supposed to do?"

Stiles turned in his chair and reached into the back, pulling out two aluminum bats.

"Really?" Lydia asked in disbelief. There were times when she simply couldn't believe Stiles, despite his ingenious moments.

"What?"

"We're talking about a creature that can dismember a human body like a hot knife through butter. Do you really think two aluminum bats are going to do much against it?" she asked.

Stiles shrugged. "Hey, that thing may be strong, but it could also be very slow."

Lydia rolled her eyes and looked out her window. "I cannot begin yo imagine how your mind works, Stiles. It is, without a doubt, a miracle of nature."

"Maybe it'll be how people think in a century?" Stiles joked. "You know, how humans evolve to survive a more hostile world."

"Right and we'll all carry bat's for protection." Lydia replied.

Stiles nodded. "I like the sound of that."

Suddenly something pounded on Stiles window, making the boy scream and jumped in his seat. He swung the bat toward his window. Lydia shrieked and managed to duck the rouge swing that bounced off the driver window. The bat came back and hit Stiles in the face, causing him to quickly drop the bat over the remaining fast food bags, and clutch his face. Lydia exhaled deeply and turned to look at Stiles. Her eyes moved beyond him to his window, where Allison stood.

"Are you okay?" Allison asked.

Stiles looked up and rolled down his window. ""what are you doing here?"

Allison pointed toward Lydia. "Lydia texted me. So I texted Scott and he told me to join you guys."

Stiles frowned. "What?"

"Almost thought tonight was going to be a waste of time," Jackson said, coming up alongside Allison. "but that, Stilinski, was definitely worth it."

"What are you doing here?"

"McCall." Jackson said. "Thinks you two could use help watching the precinct."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "So glad you could join us, Jackson."

Jackson shrugged. "Not like I had homework to finish."

Stiles leaned on his door. "So, what, Scott sent you two and stayed home?"

"No he's coming." Allison explained. "He's bringing Isaac with him."

Stiles nodded. "So, where-?"

The sound of a motorcycle silenced Stiles. A single headlight illuminated the street as the bike came up to the jeep. The engine shut down and Scott and Isaac climbed off.

"Nice, McCall, now the whole precinct knows we're out here."

"Actually, the night shift left for patrols a few hours ago." Stiles answered quickly. "There might be one other officer in there with the clerk, but they're not gonna notice the bike."

Jackson rolled his eyes. "So what are we doing here, McCall?"

"We're here to watched the precinct." Scott answered.

"Okay?" Isaac question. "Are we here to make sure Mercedes doesn't go on a rampage?"

"Actually, we're here to protect her." Scott replied.

A group pf confused faces all turned toward Scott. Save for Stiles.

"Might want to explain a little more there, Scotty." Stile stated.

"Okay, so Derek got me thinking that Mercedes might not be the one attacking people." Scott explained.

"What made you morons think that?" Jackson asked. "Wayde was found on her property. Mercedes was the last one to see that teacher. And the crime scene geeks found forensic evidence that leads back to her."

Stiles frowned. "Wait, how do you know that?"

"My dad was looking into taking the case. He left the files on his desk-"

"And you snuck into his office?" Allison asked.

Jackson shrugged. "Thought the information might be needed. And I was right. Bottom line, everything's pointing to Walker."

"That's exactly it. Everything's pointing to her, but she didn't do it." Scott explained. "What if, whoever is doing this, is setting her up to kill her? The whole town that Wayde had a problem with Mercedes. And the entire town knew that Tracy would take Bentley to school when Wayde started terrorizing Mercedes."

"Pretty good frame job." Jackson said. "How do we know she's telling the truth?"

"Yeah, you guys have a hard enough time catching her heartbeat. What if she's really lying?" Allison asked.

"She's not." Scott insisted.

"Could she be covering for Bentley?" Isaac asked. "He can't control himself on the full moon. Like some people."

Jackson's eyes narrowed.

"That's why we're staying here. If it's anyone else, we can intervene." Scott explained. "Plus, Derek's dealing with Bentley."

"Hale's babysitting a werewolf on a full moon? I think I'm missing something highly entertaining." Jackson stated.

"Wanna trade him?" Stiles asked. "See how handle a feral werewolf pup?"

"You know what Stilinski, why don't you-"

"Shut up!" Scott snapped, but his attention wasn't on his friends. He stared at the ground with his head tilt to one side. Jackson turned to Scott, only to shift his attention to the sky. Isaac joined them. All three seemed to be listening to something.

"What is it?" Allison asked.

"Derek. "Isaac answered.

"Derek's in trouble." Scott said.

"Could it be Bentley?" Lydia asked.

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out." Scott turned on his heels and sprinted for his bike. Isaac followed after him and climbed on.

"Child Services took the kid the Michaelson's house." Jackson called.

Stiles' eyes grew wide in terror. "Dude, that's a mile from the Walker place. Scott, Derek said-"

"I know! Stay here!" Scott revved the engine and took off toward the Michaelson's house.

"What's going on?" Allison asked.

"Derek had a theory that whatever was killing people might be hunting near Mercedes property. The teacher is just down the lane from both Mercedes and the Michaelson's, and Wayde was killed on her property." Stiles explained. He leaned back in his seat and sighed with frustration. He slammed his hands against the steering wheel. They were getting more questions, not answers. And now Derek was in trouble. If Derek was calling for help, then they were screwed.

"Well good news and bad news." Jackson said. He watched the precinct closely.

Allison frowned. "What's the good news?"

"good news is, Walker didn't kill those people." he answered, nodding his head toward Stiles. "Sheriff's cutting her loose."

"And the and news?" Lydia asked.

"The Michaelson's are dead and the kids missing." Jackson replied.

Allison's eyes grew large. "Oh my god."

"Must be what Derek was calling about." Stiles sat up and started the engine.

"What are you doing?" Lydia asked.

"We're meeting up with Scott." Stiles answered.

"Stiles." Allison said.

"You really think that's a good idea?" Lydia asked. "Two more people are dead and who knows what happened to Derek. We are not equipped to handle this."

"Stiles."

"We've got three more werewolves and a hunter." Stiles replied.

"Stiles!" Allison yelled.

"What?" Stiles yelled, turning toward Allison. He looked at her long enough to realize that she was looking at the station. His eyes shifted and immediately found what Allison had been trying to warn him about. He swallowed nervously.

Mercedes Walker was stalking toward the four teenagers. Ever since being processed that morning, Mercedes had been unable to change her clothes. But even in a tank top and loose pants that were clearly meant for bed and bed alone, she was by far one of the most terrifying sights that stiles had ever seen coming toward him. And Peter had been psychotic at the time. Her jaw was clearly clenched tightly, her fingers curled into tight fists, and her eyes were sharply narrowed-on them. She marched over to the passenger door. Lydia silently eased out of her seat and behind Stile's. Mercedes yanked the door open and climbed in.

"Drive." she demanded.

Stiles shifted his Jeep into gear and pulled out into the street, leaving Allison and Jackson heading for Jackson's car.

"Where's Scott?" Mercedes asked.

"Heading for the Michaelson's." Stiles answered. "He heard Derek."

Mercedes frowned. "What's wrong with Derek?"

"We don't know. All of a sudden they hear Derek calling out for help." Stiles explained. He sighed slowly. "Soemthing must've happened when he went after Bentley."

"I don't mena to pry, but could Benltey be-"

"No." Mercedes snapped. She winced to herself. "I'm sorry."

"Your'e worried about your son, we understand." Stiles replied, turning the wheel.

"We understood that Benltey wasn't in full control." Lydia said.

Mercedes shook her ehad. "No, he's not, but he's been getting better since moving here. And..."

"And what?"

"He's not strong enough to dismember a human yet." she answered.

"Well, that's mildly good news." Stiles stated.

* * *

yay, let's drag the others into this. The search for Bentley and Derek begins!


	13. Chapter 13

Derek grit his teeth, his facing wincing with discomfort, and pain. He leaned the entirety of his weight on the tree beside him. His side still burned in pain from the creatures attack. the numbness had lingered longer than he had thought, but the pain of the strike still lingered even more. It pulsed throughout his entire body, in sync with his own heart beat, and fanning from its source at his side. Derek inhaled deeply, willing his body to speed up its healing. He needed to keep moving. The paralysis had taken valuable time and given the creature a head start in tracking Bentley.  
Derek pushed himself off the tree and forced himself to push on. The pain flared at his side, but he didn't stop. He couldn't now, not when that creature was out there, hunting down Bentley. He forced his focus from his pain onto Bentley. What was it about Bentley that provoked that creature to follow him? Neither Bentley nor Mercedes had a scent to track and follow, but this creature seemed set on killing them.  
Pain flared in his side, causing him to pause long enough to wince through the pain. He moved through the woods, speeding up with each step until he was running. His eyes caught sight of Bentley's tracks as he ran, heading deeper into the forest. He was heading back for his house. Returning to something he knew was safe. It was something that Bentley was familiar with.  
Derek nodded to himself. "Good thinking Bentley."  
Derek picked up the pace from a limp to a slow paced jog. His eyes cut through the darkness and picked up Bentley's tracks outline with the creatures. He pushed the branches out of his path as he moved through the woods. The pain was slowly ebbing away to a dull ache, allowing him to increase his speed even more.  
As Derek ran through the woods, he caught the sound of an approaching motorcycle coming down the road. Scott's bike. He heard the engine shut down, throwing silence into the woods once more. It would only take Scott a matter of minutes to find him if he let his senses take over. And from there, they had a better chance of picking up Bentley.  
With Scott on his way, Derek focused on tracking Bentley. He pushed himself, speeding up more. The pain had finally subsided, but it had cost him valuable time. Once he found Bentley, Derek needed to talk with Deaton about the effectiveness of this creatures toxin. If it can slow the pack down this badly, they were in serious trouble.  
"Derek!" Scott called, breaking into sight. Behind him came Isaac. Derek was suddenly rethinking their arrival. If this creature could do this to him, then Derek had just called them out into his hunting ground and put them at risk. At least Jackson had stayed behind.  
"Where's Bentley?" Isaac asked.  
Derek gestured to the wood and kept running. "He's running."  
Scott and Isaac started running after him. Scott grabbed Derek's arm, stopping him. "Derek, did he-"  
"No." Derek answered. He started running again, but kept talking. "Mercedes was right, it was something else."  
"Did you get a look at it?" Scott asked.  
Derek thought very hard before he answered. had he seen it? Had he seen it clear enough to make out a description. "I don't know what I saw, but I saw something. It was big, but it was fast. Faster than anything I've seen. It has no scent, and it's tracking Bentley."  
"So we're tracking two creature that can't be tracked by scent?" Isaac asked. "Maybe we should call Argent?"  
"Police already have him tracking for them." Derek explained. "It's safer for him and it increases Bentley's odds of being found."  
"So we're going off our senses." Scott said.  
Derek nodded. "Bentley's tracks lead off toward his house. And so is whatever is following him."  
"So why don't we go to the house?" Isaac said.  
Suddenly Scott's phone rang out in the silence. Scott quickly pulled out his phone. "Hello?"  
_"Scott!"_  
"Stiles? What's wrong?" Scott asked.  
_"Have you found Derek?"_ Stiles asked.  
Scott glanced in Derek's direction. "Yeah, we've got Derek."  
_"Good, cause we're on our way?"_ Stiles explained.  
"Wait what?"  
_"Mercedes was released when news of the attack got through."_ Stiles stated. _"We're pulling off the road now."_  
Derek grabbed Stiles phone. "Stiles, shut your mouth and listen. You get Allison and Lydia back into town. Don't argue, don't let them leave the car. Let Jackson and Mercedes out and you get your ass back to town. Tell Jackson and Mercedes to stay together."  
_"What's happening out there?"_ Stiles asked.  
"Just have Mercedes and Jackson meet us at Mercedes place." Derek explained. "And tell her...she was right." He ended the call and tossed it back to Scott. "Let's go."  
They continued running through the woods toward the Walker house. Isaac and Scott trailed ahead, while Derek ensured that Bentley's tracks stayed in the same direction. And for the most part, they were. Until they were thirty yards from the house. Scott, Isaac, and Derek emerged from the forest, within Wayde's construction zone. Bentley's tracks suddenly shifted east, passing the house entirely, and veering off back into the woods. More disturbing, the larger tracks followed the boy into the woods.  
"Tracks veer back into the woods." Derek said. he followed Bentley's tracks toward the woods.  
"What about Mercedes and Jackson?" Isaac asked.  
"Don't worry about us." Jackson said, suddenly breaking through the woods a few yards ahead of them.  
Mercedes moved in front, meeting up with Derek. "He's heading east?"  
"That's where his tracks are leading at the moment." Derek answered. He turned to look at her. "Any reason he'd go east?"  
Mercedes shook her head and started following the tracks. "Nothing that I can think of."  
"What if it caught up with him?" Isaac questioned.  
Derek rolled his eyes internally and turned to look at Isaac. He was a smart kid, but sometimes Isaac asked the wrong questions at the most unacceptable moment. His eyes drifted to Mercedes, who had turned to look back at Isaac, and he knew that Mercedes was thinking the same thing.  
"Then you pack is going to have another problem." Mercedes answered. She turned again and took off toward the woods.  
The pack quickly followed her. Derek took the lead, following Bentley's tracks. He kept three yards in front of Mercedes, while the others took up positions on each side of her and then behind. They headed east for about fifty yard when Bentley's tracks shifted again, heading north this time. Derek stopped and knelt by the outer tracks. There was a slight length to the tracks, as if it had slid across the ground unexpectedly. He stood and started following Bentley's tracks deeper into the woods.  
Suddenly Mercedes stopped. She exhaled deeply, trying to catch her breath.  
"Scott stopped beside her. "What is it?"  
"I'm such an idiot." She said.  
Jackson frowned. "What are you talking about?"  
"Cover your ears." She warned as she brought her fingers to her lips. She took a deep breath and released a high frequency whistle.  
The moment she released it, Isaac, Jackson, Scott, and Derek covered their ears to protect themselves from the frequency. It was far more intense than anything they'd ever heard. Not even Argent managed to achieve the frequency Mercedes had. It travel through their ear drums and coursed down to their bones, causing them to tremble and throb from the intensity.  
Mercedes ceased whistling and waited. The boys lowered their hands from their ears, even though they were still ringing.  
"What the hell was that?" Jackson demanded.  
"Something I picked up a long time ago." Mercedes answered absentmindedly. She turned slightly. "They split up."  
Derek frowned. "Who?"  
"There's two of them north of us. One veered off to the west." Mercedes explained.  
Derek slowly took in what she was saying. "How far is your range?"  
"On land, maybe one of your American football fields." she answered. "It's stronger in the water, supposedly. Less to interfere."  
"Sonar." Derek stated.  
Mercedes shrugged. She took a step forward, following Bentley's tracks. "You could say that."  
"How far away are they?" Scott asked.  
"Eighty yards and still moving." Mercedes answered.  
"Any guess which one is which?" Isaac asked.  
Mercedes nodded. "No. There's too much to get a real clear sense."  
"Isaac and Jackson, take Mercedes and head west." Derek ordered. "It's probably Bentley doubling back to the house. Scott and I'll head north."  
Jackson and Isaac nodded, but Mercedes, to everyone's surprise, shook her head.  
"I'm going north." Mercedes said. She moved past Derek and continued to follow the tracks.  
Scott frowned. "Why? You just said that someone was moving west."  
"Doesn't mean that's my son." Mercedes replied. "Why would one suddenly break off west while the other continues north? No hunter would let up on their prey without a reason."  
"So we all keep heading north." Jackson said.  
"No." Mercedes answered. "You go home."  
"What?" Isaac asked.  
Mercedes kept walking through the woods. "The more of us here, the more of a target we are."  
Derek followed after her. "She's right."  
"Derek-"  
"Scott, whatever this is, our bodies aren't equipped to heal immediately from it. We're sitting ducks if it comes after us. You three need to go."  
"So you can stay?" Scott asked.  
"I sent Bentley out here, Scott." Derek reminded. "I'm not going to leave the kids out here with that thing chasing after him. But you're the alpha, it's your call."  
It was a low request to give to Scott. The decision to force someone to stay and risk their life for Bentley, or make them all a target and possibly get them killed. It wasn't something to be taken lightly, and Scott didn't deserve to have that thrust upon him. but it was a decision that every Alpha had to make at some point in their life.  
"Stiles and I can coordinate your search area with the cops. Make sure you guys don't search the same area twice." Scott said. "Call in every hour."  
Derek nodded. It was the least he could do. He turned and started jogging. Mercedes picked up the pace with him and the two moved deeper into the woods. Derek could hear the others heading back the way they came, hopefully getting further from danger.  
"Did you see it?" Mercedes asked.  
Derek shook his head. "Not clearly. but I saw what it was capable of."  
"It's a shame more people had to die for you to believe me." Mercedes replied.  
For a moment, Derek said nothing. She had a point, but that was an unnecessary comment. "If you want to talk about trust, maybe you deal with your own issues about trusting your senses."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"You sensed something around your place, but we both know you don't trust your senses." Derek explained. "Your little sonar stunt proved that your desperate enough to try them, but you don't trust them enough. Which is why we're going north instead of west."  
"Are you telling me you think I'm wrong?" Mercedes asked.  
"I'm saying trust goes both way." Derek replied. "And not just with other people. You need to start trusting your sense and instincts. Maybe when you start to trust yourself, the rest of us will trust you too."  
The trees suddenly thinned out, leading them into a slight clearing. A small creek cut through the center. The creek banks were steep, starting completely level before they dropped to the water level. Derek and Mercedes both came to a stop. Bentley's tracks reached the edge of the bank and ended there. there was no sign of a trail on the opposite side.  
Mercedes slowly walked the area, searching. But there was nothing to be found. She's lost the trail, going against what her instincts had told her. Derek had been right. "Looks like you get to see your point proven."  
Derek shook his head. "Yeah, because that's my life's goal."  
They stood in the small clearing for a moment, gathering their thoughts on their next move. Derek could sense Mercedes' anxiety and fear. She moved about in spastic patterns, trying to get her bearings. Derek turned from her, to check their surroundings. He was irritated with himself. How could he send a four year old boy on his own and on a full moon. He should have gone out with the boy and gotten him to safety. Instead he'd gone down to see what was in the house and had been attack, loosing valuable time.  
"I'm sorry, Mercedes." Derek said.  
Mercedes turned to him. "For what?"  
"You asked me to keep your son safe and I sent him out alone." Derek explained.  
"Alone or not, you still went to get him." Mercedes answered. "You sent him out to keep him safe and you're still looking for him now." She took a step toward him. "You're still doing more for my son than anyone else."  
"Any chance your sonar will work again?" he asked.  
Mercedes looked around. "I'm not sure. I don't exactly have a lot of experience. But it's a chance." She took a quick stance and brought her fingers to her lips. Derek covered his ears in preparation. Mercedes inhaled deeply, but paused. Suddenly the feeling of dread washed over her. She lowered her fingers released her breath.  
Derek lowered his hands. "What is it?"  
"There's something here." she said.  
Derek turned to their surroundings. He couldn't sense anything around them. "You sense it?"  
Mercedes nodded. "Yes."  
"Trust your senses, Mercedes." Derek instructed. "Where is it?"  
Mercedes closed her eyes, focusing on her senses. Her claws emerged on their own. Her fins slipped from her forearms in defense. She could feel it nearby. Watching them, stalking them, hunting them, but it wouldn't stay still. It was moving continuously around them. Mercedes shook her head. "I can't tell. It keeps moving."  
Derek gently took hold of her upper arm. "Focus. It'll come to you."  
Mercedes took another breath and listened. She couldn't hear anything, not in the sense that Derek could, but there was something there. In the vibrations of the air that drifted over her skin and spoke to her. It told her where it was with each movement of its body. She didn't know how it was possible, but she could sense the creature near them. It was moving again, right behind them! Mercedes' eyes snapped open. She grabbed Derek's wrist and threw him out of the way. "Look out!"  
And it struck. An invisible force slammed into Mercedes body, slamming her to the ground. The force knocked the air rom the lungs. A stabbing pain erupted in her hip, causing Mercedes to scream in pain. She tried to free herself, clawing at whatever it was that had her pinned to the earth. Some kind of claw grabbed hold of her throat. Mercedes clawed at the force over her throat. She tore at the unseen flesh and felt its blood run onto her body. Whatever it was shriek in pain and removed itself from over her. Mercedes looked up to its reptilian tail vanish in the trees. She gasped for breath, unsure of what had just happened.  
"Mercedes?" Derek called, running to her side. There was blood on her neck and running down her leg, but she didn't seem to notice any of it. "Mercedes!"  
Mercedes blinked back to reality. "What the hell was that?"  
"Was it a massive lizard tail slinking back into the woods?" Derek asked.  
"Please tell that was not it." Mercedes replied.  
Derek nodded. He looked at Mercedes' stunned face. The blood from her wounds still bled. "We need to stop the bleeding."  
Mercedes still watched the tree line where the creature vanished, acting as if she hadn't heard him.  
"Mercedes!"  
She turned to look at him.  
"We need to stop the bleeding." Derek explained.  
Mercedes looked down at her body. The blood had been soaked in her pajamas, which were now ruined and stuck to her skin. Pain radiated from the wounds she had been too shocked to ignore.  
"Can you move?" Derek asked. "We need to get you to Deaton."  
Mercedes shook her head. "No, the creek."  
"What?"  
"The water heals faster." Mercedes explained.  
Derek nodded and helped Mercedes to her feet. She cringed at the pain coursing through her side, nearly stumbling back to the ground if not for Derek catching her. He held her around her back as she limped toward the creek.  
"Damn that thing has some claws." Mercedes muttered.  
"Not unlike yourself." Derek replied. he eased her into the water. Mercedes sat down at in the creek, letting the cool water rush over her body. The blood on her pajamas started running off as the water healed the stab wound.  
"Just be glad I don't have a tail." Mercedes stated. She cupped a handful of water and poured it over her neck. Derek watched as the claw marks closed before his eyes.  
"Can you sense it anywhere?" Derek asked.  
Mercedes shook her head, sending small droplets of water flying around her. "Not anymore."  
Derek reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell. He quickly dialed Scott's number. "Come on Scott, pick up."  
_"Derek?"_ Scott asked.  
"Yeah, listen, is the pack out of the woods?" Derek asked.  
_"Yeah we're out, what's going on?"_ Scott replied. In the background, Stiles could be heard mumbling about the phone. _"Stiles get off! I'll tell them!"_  
"What's with Stiles this time?"  
_"Stiles! Ow!"_  
There was a commotion over the phone and the sound of the phone being moved around.  
_"Look, wherever you guys are, you get your asses to Mercedes house. Cops just radioed in, they found Bentley."_ Stiles explained.  
Mercedes looked up. "What?"  
"Where?" Derek asked.  
_"Not far from the Michaelson's house."_ Stiles answered. _"Argent found him. No claws, no fangs, nothing but tear streaks on his cheeks. Kids terrified."_  
Mercedes reached fro the phone. "Where are they taking him?"  
"My dad's heading for your place with Argent and Bentley rihgt now. So whatever the hell you two are doing, book it back now." he replied.  
"We're on our way." Derek said. He hung up the phone and slid it back into his pocket. He looked down at Mercedes and extended his hand. "Let's move."  
Mercedes took hold and was lifted back to her feet. She felt no pain in her hip from the claws as she steadied herself. She took the lead, crossing the creek and heading west again. She took only a few steps before she noticed that Derek wasn't following her. Mercedes turned around to find Derek heading north, the same direction the creature had gone. "Derek?"  
Derek stood on the creek bed, staring at the spot where the creature had disappeared. Mercedes looked at Derek for a moment and then allowed her eyes to shift toward the direction he was looking at. She could only see the dark outlines of the trees and nothing more. But she also couldn't sense anything around them. "Derek?"  
Derek took a step across the creek, toward the tree line. He moved quickly, following after the creature. Mercedes quickly jogged behind him. She grabbed his arms, trying to stop him. "What are you doing?"  
Derek grabbed her wrist and turned her slightly. "Those lights through the trees. Do you see them?"  
Mercedes looked through the tree line as Derek said. The dark outlines made seeing very difficult, but she could made out the faint glow of lights through the thickness. "I see them."  
"That's your house." Derek stated.  
Mercedes frowned. "How-?"  
"This things been running us around, make us lose our bearings." Derek explained. He took another step toward the tree line. He pushed aside the nearest branch and entered into the woods with Mercedes still holding his arm. They moved quickly, both staying alert for the creature. Mercedes held tight to Derek's wrist as she followed him through the thick forest. She could see the faint lights of her house slowly growing as they moved.  
Derek came to a sudden stop, causing Mercedes to bump into his back. She slowly took in the surrounding, but could only make out the lights of her house. They were still a good distance from the house, but Derek was more concerned with their current location. He was tense, alert, and focused.  
"What is it?"  
"After Wayde's body was discovered, I searched the area. Followed the blood and tracks out here, where they stopped." Derek explained. He pointed to his right. "Those are fresh."  
Mercedes couldn't make out any indentation in the earth, but she new Derek could. She also knew what was in that direction. "Derek, there's a mine entrance just over that hill."  
Derek winced to himself at his stupidity. He should've studied the area better, then he would've saved time. Everything made sense now. The mine was its home. The construction had probably awakened it and it determined they were a threat. This wasn't about Mercedes and Bentley, this was about territory. Derek pushed her back toward her house. "Get to the house. Pretend like you've been there since you were released."  
Mercedes hesitated. "You're not going after it, Derek."  
Derek shook his head. "Not tonight, but I have to tell the others." He let go of her hand and headed deeper into the forest, away from Mercedes home.

* * *

Derek stood at least fifty yards from the Walker residence when Sheriff Stilinski and Chris Argent rolled up the drive. He could see the top of Bentley's head peeking over the bottom of the window in back. The car wasn't even completely stopped when the front door to the house was nearly ripped off the hinges. Mercedes sprinted out of the house, wearing fresh clothes, down toward the vehicle. Sheriff Stilinski stepped out of the vehicle and quickly opened the back door. Bentley tumbled out and raced toward his mother. Mercedes dropped to her knees and enveloped the boy in a fierce and protective hug. Derek released the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. Guilt still gnawed at him for not protecting the boy as he'd promised, but watching the reunion was enough to settle it...for now.

* * *

BACK! okay don't question this chapter because it took me forever! now we know for sure there's something there! next chapter will certainly be interesting. it's where everything starts to go DOWNHILL for the pack! yay!


	14. Chapter 14

Like many cities in California, Beacon Hills had started out as a mining town. The mines had run for miles in the forest. During the height of its gold rush, the mining area had been completely devoid of trees and wildlife, giving out gold until it had run dry. The main entrance was sealed us, as were the others. By that time, the small town that had sprung up from the mine had become a self sustaining city. As time went by, the forest took back the mine, concealing it within the trees and underbrush, and taking most of its memory with it.  
But not from city records. After the search had been called off and everyone involved had been released, the pack had regrouped at Deaton's clinic, where Stiles had brought the maps of the old mine system. It hadn't taken the pack long to come up with a plan of attack.  
As the sun rose in the sky, the pack gathered outside the main entrance to the mine. The main entrance sealed with most of the secondary entrances, there were few choice point to enter. As a group, it was decided that the point of entry would be five miles from the Walker estate. It was secluded, should anything happen inside and the chances of an innocent bystander stumbling upon them was very slim. The last thing they needed was a hiker stumbling upon them in the mines. The main area was sparsely forested, still recovering from the lumbering of the area when the mine first opened. Grass and brush covered most of the forest floor, nearly hiding the entrance from plain sight. The wooden brace beams had been overgrown with moss and blended in with the greenery.  
Stiles stood by the hood of his jeep, the map of the mine stretched out across the hood of his jeep. He'd spent hours pouring over the map, learning every tunnel and possible escape points. "Okay, any last minute drop outs?"  
Around him, the others prepared themselves for the search though the mine. Allison and her father prepped their weapons. Both had seen fit to bring mining type lights. Chris checked the battery and light life before passing one to Allison and Perish. Allison took the light from her father and adjusted the strap around her head before returning her attention to her bows. Chris checked the ammunitions level and loaded his rifle and backup pistol. Perish checked radio batteries and past them out amongst the group. Isaac, Jackson, Scott, and Derek were on high alert. Isaac and Jackson had already shifted their claws, but Derek and Scott had yet to do so. Scott's focus was on Derek, instead. Since he'd spotted him that morning, Scott had sensed something about Derek was off, he just couldn't place it.  
"Okay, plans simple, Lydia and I'll talk you guys through the tunnels. First team to find the monster-"  
"Run like hell and hope you're faster than your partner." Peter finished. He leaned against the side of his car, his arms folded in front of his chest. He'd wanted nothing more than to leave them to their foolish attempt to hunt the creature down, but his curiosity of the creature was getting the best of him.  
Lydia rolled her eyes. "Nice."  
Stiles ignored Peter's words and kept going. "Scott and Derek's group have channel two with me. Jackson and Perish's group are on three with Lydia."  
"Why aren't we all on the same channel?" Isaac asked.  
"Too much communication on one channel will do more damage." Argent explained. "More of a distraction."  
Stiles nodded. "But we still want constant radio checks. We don't know how far down this thing can be. We could lose radio contact completely-"  
"Well we'll be sure to scream loud enough for everyone to hear." Peter replied.  
Derek rolled his eyes. "Enough." He reached up and wiped the sweat form his forehead. The day was early, but he was feeling the heat already. It wasn't odd for autumn to get one last hot day, but Derek was already over it.  
The groups broke away from the vehicles and made their way up the small incline toward the entrance. The entrance had been boarded up, but the Sheriff had assured them that there was nothing else stopping them-or anything else- from pulling them off and going in-or out- of the mine. Isaac stepped forward and carefully pulled apart the boards, trying to keep the noise to a minimum. He tossed them aside and took a cautious sniff. Derek came up behind him and slowly entered. Perish and Argent followed after him. Scott, Isaac, Jackson, and Allison followed next, leaving Peter to bring up the rear.  
The sun immediately vanished as the plunge into the mining tunnel. Argent, Perish, and Allison activated their mag lights, illuminating the mine for their eyes. Dust and cobwebs covered the old beams. The air smelled stale. Old light systems hung from fixtures built on the wall, leading deep into the mine. Their steps echoed the deeper they moved into the tunnel.  
Sweat rolled down the back of Derek's neck. He casually wiped it away, catching the look from Scott. He'd noticed Scott's constant watchfulness over him the entire morning, but had ignored him. Scott sensed something was wrong, and the more Derek thought about it, the more he feared Scott was right. Every since the previous night, something had felt off. His body was slower than normal, heavier almost. His breathing labored and his side ached for no apparent reason.  
"You alright?" Scott asked, keeping his voice low.  
"I'm fine." Derek answered quickly. They needed to stay focused on finding the creature before it attacked someone else.  
"No offence, but you don't look fine, Derek." Scott replied.  
"Alright guys, radio check." Lydia called through the radio.  
"Check."  
"Check."  
"Check."  
"Check."  
_ "Okay, the main tunnel should be coming up on the left. Derek, Chris, Scott, and Peter, that's your tunnel. Everyone else keep going. Make sure you're on your channel."_ Lydia explained.  
Sure enough, on the left came an opening in the wall. Argent ran his hand through the cobwebs, clearing them from the archway. He slipped into the tunnel, lighting it was as he went. Scott, Derek, and Peter followed after him, while the rest of the group carried on. The air remained the same stale scent as they moved through the main tunnel. They moved silently through the tunnel. Senses on high alert, waiting for anything to move about the tunnel.  
_ "You should be reaching the next tunnel break."_ came Stiles voice.  
Another twenty feet, another tunnel arch appeared ahead of them.  
"Yeah we see it Stiles." Argent replied, clipping the radio back to his belt. He turned back to the others. "Derek and I will stay on this tunnel."  
Scott nodded. "Peter and I'll check this one and double back to you guys."  
Peter clapped his hands together, faking enthusiasm. "Fun." He started into the tunnel, slowly, glancing back every few steps to make sure Scott was coming behind him.  
Derek and Chris continued on through the tunnel, walking nearly in sync with each other. Chris' light danced along the walls of the mine. Old lines that had once held lanterns marked the wall every twenty feet or so. They moved quickly through the tunnel, deeper beneath the surface.  
Argent cast a quick glance toward Derek. "You think this killing is over territory?"  
"It makes sense." Derek stated.  
"Why attack now? The Walkers have been living here for months." Argent replied. He shined the light along the walls, taking in every detail he could.  
"There's an entrance to the mine, an opened one, under three miles from their place." Derek explained. He wiped another round of sweat from his forehead. "I'm thinking, Waydes' construction woke the thing and started this. property damage on Mercedes' land and Wayde's site."  
"And here we are thinking whatever this thing is, is something intelligent." Argent comment.  
Derek gave a small chuckle, but his throat quickly tightened and turned the chuckled into a brutal cough. He gasped for air, only to cough more painfully. It was fast and dry, tearing at his throat with every cough. He stumbled to his feet, clutching his chest as he tried to breathe. He sensed Argent next to him, unable to do anything.  
"Stiles, Derek's down. We're pulling out." Argent explained. He reached under Derek's arm and pulled it over his shoulder. He shouldered his rifle and pulled Derek up to his feet.  
_ "What's going on?"_ Stiles asked.  
"Something's wrong with him." he replied.  
_ "Peter and I are on our way." _ came Scott's voice.  
Argent started pulling Derek back through the tunnel toward the entrance. Derek stumbled with each step, still struggling through his coughing spell. He barely managed a few sparse breaths before his throat felt like it closed up. Argent quickly took over, nearly dragging Derek alongside him. As they moved down the tunnel, Argent's light skimmed hazardously along the ground of the tunnel, catching something they hadn't seen. Derek grabbed Argent's arm, stopping him from going.  
"Look." Derek wheezed.  
Argent turned and looked along the ground. He let the light move along the wall and ground. The circle of illumination grazed over a form, causing him to double back. The light engulfed the form. It took Argent a minute to realize that he was looking at one of Wayde's dismembered legs.  
"Looks like...we're on...the right path." Derek wheezed.  
Argent nodded. "Looks like. Now lets get you out." he continued to lead Derek out of the tunnel. "Stiles, inform your dad that we just found the rest of Wayde."  
_ "You what?"_ Stiles replied. _"How far down are you guys?"_  
"No idea." Argent grunted as he led Derek up through the tunnel. "Have Lydia tell the others."  
The coughing attack had died down, but Derek's breathing was far from normal. His lungs seemed to spasm against his rib cage. Constricting and relaxing far too fast for his body to absorb whatever oxygen he managed to fill his lungs with. His vision began to blur, distorting the other remains of victims strewn about the tunnel. How had they missed that? Derek stumbled, dropping to his knees. Argent quickly knelt beside him, taking his arm again.  
"Come on, Derek." Argent urged.  
A low hiss echoed through the tunnel ,ceasing both men. Derek looked up at Argent, who met his gaze. Argent carefully pulled his rifle from his shoulder. Rocks shifted, echoing down the tunnel toward them. Argent took up a position, looking down both ends of the tunnel.  
"Can you see it?" Argent whispered.  
Derek shook his head a fraction.  
"Stiles, it's in the tunnel." Argent whispered.  
Derek closed his eyes and let his senses take over. He could hear Argents heartbeat next to him, steadily beating away. He could faintly hear the movement in the next tunnel, gradually getting louder. Scott and Peter most likely. He caught another faint beat nearby, closer than Scott and Peter, but farther than Argent. IT was faint, possibly four beats per minute, and it was coming from behind them. Derek opened his eyes and looked behind them. Even with his distorted vision, Derek could make out the tunnels form, but couldn't see anything definitive. Another shift in the rocks shifted Derek's attention- above them.  
"Look out!" he cried.  
A gust of dirt and dust burst from the ground, clouding their vision, but not deafening them to the creatures cries and movements. The dust immediately triggered another coughing fit. Derek collapsed to the ground. He could hear Chris move along the wall and spotted his shadow within the dust. He struggled to breathe through the dust and seizing lungs. He could feel the movement of the air across his face.  
Chris pressed himself against the wall beside Derek, pressing his rifle against his shoulder. His light shined back and further through the tunnel. "Where is it?"  
"Argent! Derek!" Scott yelled.  
The tunnel started to fade from Derek's vision. He shook his head, trying to force himself to focus on what was happening. Suddenly a force slammed Derek into the wall beside Chris. His head slammed into the rock wall. Derek collapsed to the ground again. His body lay limply on the floor as Chris cried out through the tunnel. Derek's heart thundered inside his chest as he listened to the creature attack Chris. His claws shifted as his body shut down. The air rumbled as a fierce howl tore through the tunnel. Derek choked another breath as the tunnel faded into darkness.

* * *

if you're reading this, THANK YOU! I know I haven't updated in forever. I'm dealing with massive writers block still. But I'm still plucking away at this story. It has not been forgotten! update will happen as soon as I can destroy this block. if you've got suggestions on the block please let me know. I really want to finish this.


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